Derek Chauvin, the Minnesota police officer who was charged in the May 25, 2020 murder of Minneapolis man George Floyd, was released from the Oak Park Heights prison on a non-cash bail bond of $1,000,000 this morning.
Chauvin was seen kneeling on Floyd’s neck in the viral video of the last few agonizing minutes of the 46-year-old African American man’s life whose last words were, “I can’t breathe.” Chauvin had been fired from the police force a day after killing, and arrested on May 29 charges of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. But the charges were later bumped up to second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
Chauvin was the fourth and last accused to be released on bail in the murder case that is expected to go on trial in March next year. Other accused, Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao, who had been charged with had with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter, had been released on bail earlier on June 10 (Lane), June 19 (Kueng) and July 4 (Thao).
Nationwide protests had broken out in wake of George Floyd’s murder as people were forced to confront uncomfortable questions about systemic racism and its impact on privilege, quality of life and circumstances of death.
Deborah Grey 