Court documents filed Monday indicate that ex-Minnesota police officer and convicted murderer Derek Chauvin plans to plead guilty to violating George Floyd’s civil rights for the May 2020 arrest that ended with his death.
Chauvin. 45, is currently serving a 22-year sentence after being convicted of Floyd’s second-degree murder, which was a state charge. On a federal level, Chauvin, along with former Minneapolis police officers Thomas Lane, 37, J. Alexander Kueng, 26, and Tou Thao, 34, is charged with using the “color of law” to deprive Floyd of his right to be free from the use of unreasonable force, according to the Star Tribune.
WCCO reported that Chauvin’s change of plea hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.
On May 25, 2020, Minneapolis police officers were filmed arresting Floyd, 46, on suspicion that he used a counterfeit bill at the Cup Foods supermarket. After police pulled Floyd out of his car and handcuffed him, Chauvin was filmed forcing his knee into Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes.
Floyd was heard gasping for air and saying he could not breathe before he lost consciousness and died.
Chauvin, Lane, Kueng, and Thao previously pleaded not guilty to federal charges related to the deadly arrest. In August, Lane, Kueng, and Thao unsuccessfully asked the court to be tried separately from Chauvin, who was convicted of state charges in April.
On the federal level, Chauvin was also charged with violating the civil rights of a 14-year-old boy he allegedly struck with a flashlight, held by the throat, and knelt on for 17 minutes during a 2017 arrest.
On the state level, Thao, Lane, and Kueng are awaiting trial for aiding and abetting second-degree murder and manslaughter. Their joint trial was delayed to March 2022, as Hennepin County judge Peter Cahill wanted the publicity surrounding Chauvin’s case to subside and to give priority to the four ex-officers’ federal trials.
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[Featured image: Derek Chauvin/Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office; George Floyd/Facebook]
