Authorities in Minnesota late Friday released a mugshot of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, 44. Chauvin was fired earlier this week; he now faces one count of third-degree murder and one count of second-degree manslaughter in the death of George Floyd.
Chauvin is being held, reports say, in the Ramsey County Jail. Ramsey County surrounds St. Paul, Minn., and neighbors Hennepin County, which surrounds the twin city of Minneapolis. Chauvin faces charges in Hennepin County. The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports that authorities did not make it clear exactly why Chauvin was not booked in Hennepin County. However, it is not uncommon for high-profile defendants to be moved to other jurisdictions for their own safety.
Court records suggest Chauvin’s bail is set at $500,000. That number is contained in an “order of detention” section of a warrant signed electronically by District Court Judge Luis Bartolomei of Hennepin County; however, a requisite box next to that section is not checked.
According to charging documents, Chauvin pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds. Chauvin continued pressing for two minutes and fifty three seconds after Floyd lost consciousness. “Police are trained that this type of restraint with a subject in a prone position is inherently dangerous,” a probable cause statement read.
The documents also said an autopsy was conducted on Wednesday. “The full report of the ME [Medical Examiner] is pending,” the statement said, but “[t]he autopsy revealed no physical findings that support a diagnosis of traumatic asphyxia or strangulation.”
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“Mr. Floyd had underlying health conditions including coronary artery disease and hypertensive heart disease,” it went on to say. “The combined effects of Mr. Floyd being restrained by the police, his underlying health conditions and any potential intoxicants in his system likely contributed to his death.”
READ the full charging document below.
Derek Chauvin Complaint by Law&Crime on Scribd
Editor’s note: This piece began as a breaking news report and has been updated.
[Image via the Ramsey County, Minn. Jail]