Derek Chauvin, cop charged in George Floyd death, moved to maximum-security prison

The former cop charged with murder and manslaughter in the death of George Floyd has been transferred to a max-security prison.

The former Minneapolis cop who was charged with murder and manslaughter in the death of George Floyd has been transferred to a maximum-security prison, according to a report.
Derek Chauvin — who was captured in video with his knee pinned into Floyd’s neck for almost nine minutes, was originally held at the Ramsey County Jail before being transferred overnight to the Hennepin County Jail, KSTP reported.

He has since been sent to the Minnesota Correctional Facility — Oak Park Heights in Stillwater, the news outlet reported, citing the state Department of Corrections.

“Oak Park Heights is the highest custody level in the Minnesota DOC system. However, the majority of inmates housed here are maximum and close custody, as some of the inmates need a higher level of security,” according to the DOC.

DOC Commissioner Paul Schnell said in a news conference that this kind of transfer is not uncommon, adding the same thing happened when former Minneapolis cop Mohamed Noor was taken into custody in the killing of Justine Damond.

Hennepin County Sheriff David Hutchinson requested Chauvin’s transfer, Schnell said.

Chauvin, who has been fired along with three other cops, was charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter on Friday.

The three other former officers have not yet been charged in the case.

Derek Chauvin, the Minneapolis police officer accused of killing George Floyd, an unarmed African American man was arrested and charged with murder on May 29.

BEAUTY QUEEN WIFE FILES FOR DIVORCE
The “devastated” former beauty queen wife has filed for divorce.

Kellie Chauvin, who was Mrs Minnesota America 2018, is a realtor who has been married to Derek Chauvin since 2010.

A statement issued to media by Derek Chauvin’s wife’s lawyer reads: “This evening, I spoke with Kellie Chauvin and her family. She is devastated by Mr. Floyd’s death and her utmost sympathy lies with his family, with his loved ones and with everyone who is grieving this tragedy. She has filed for dissolution of her marriage to Derek Chauvin,” reads the statement released by Sekula Law Offices.

“While Ms. Chauvin has no children from her current marriage, she respectfully requests that her children, her elder parents, and her extended family be given safety and privacy during this difficult time,” the statement continued.

The couple met when he brought a suspect in for a health check before an arrest to the health centre where she was working in her former job as a radiologist. Shortly after their initial meeting at Hennepin County Medical Center Derek Chauvin returned to ask her out, Dailymail.com reported.

It was the same medical centre where Floyd was declared dead.

As part of her campaign for the 2018 beauty contest, Kellie raved about Derek in an interview from 2018, telling the Pioneer Press: “Under all that uniform, he’s just a softie.”

She said: “He’s such a gentleman. He still opens the door for me, still puts my coat on for me. After my divorce, I had a list of must-haves if I were ever to be in a relationship, and he fit all of them.”

Kellie left Laos as a child and came to America with her family as a refugee.

Kellie Chauvin, a former Mrs Minnesota, announced she was leaving her husband immediately after he was charged with George Floyd’s murder.

Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on the neck of George Floyd, a handcuffed man who was pleading that he could not breathe. Picture: Darnella Frazier via AP

Picture: Darnella Frazier via AFP

The personal news comes after it has emerged Chauvin was involved in three police shootings during his 19 years on the job — and has been the subject of multiple conduct complaints that resulted in no disciplinary action, according to reports.

Chauvin and three other police officers involved in Mr Floyd’s arrest have been fired as protests rage across the United States.

Chauvin was charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter after enough evidence was gathered to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said.

An initial video of Mr Floyd’s arrest showed him being pinned to the ground by Chauvin, who knelt on his neck for more than 10 minutes.

Mr Floyd, 46, can be heard telling the officer, “I can’t breathe”, before he loses consciousness.

Minneapolis police have identified the police officers involved as Derek Chauvin, Thomas Lane, Tou Thao and J Alexander Kueng.

WHO IS DEREK CHAUVIN?

In 2006, Derek Chauvin was one of six officers who responded to a stabbing, according to Insider, which cited a 2016 report from the Minnesota activist group Communities United Against Police Brutality.

Wayne Reyes, who was suspected of stabbing his girlfriend and a friend, was shot dead when he pointed a shotgun at the officers from his truck, according to the report.

It was unclear during the initial probe which officers fired their weapons, NBC News reported.

Following protocol, all of the officers — including Chauvin — were put on paid leave during the probe, the outcome of which was unclear. Police did not respond to the network’s request for Chauvin’s service record.

Also in 2006, Chauvin and seven other cops were named in an unrelated federal lawsuit filed by an inmate at the Minnesota Correctional Facility. The case was dismissed without prejudice the following year, NBC News reported.

In 2008, Chauvin responded to a 911 domestic assault call, according to the Pioneer Press of St Paul.

Chauvin and his partner entered the home, where they confronted Ira Latrell Toles, 21, who was holed up in a bathroom. Toles tried to flee when Chauvin got inside and reportedly tried to grab the cops gun during a scuffle. The officer fired twice, hitting Toles in the stomach, but he survived, the news outlet reported.

Chauvin and his unnamed partner were placed on paid leave during an investigation, also according to standard protocol, according to NBC News.

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The four Minneapolis police officers involved in Floyd's death have been fired. Picture: Darnella Frazier via AFP

Earlier in 2008, Chauvin was awarded a medal of valour for “his response in an incident involving a man armed with a gun,” the Pioneer Press reported, and was recognised again in 2009 by the department.

In 2011, Chauvin was again placed on temporary leave after he responded with other officers to reports of a shooting.

Leroy Martinez, 23, was spotted running from the scene while brandishing a handgun and the officers gave chase, according to local reports. Terry Nutter, one of the cops, shot Martinez.

An eyewitness challenged the police’s claim that Martinez was holding a gun when he was shot, according to Insider, which cited a report in the Star Tribune.

Delora Iceman told the Star Tribune that Martinez had dropped the pistol and held his arms in the air before cops gunned him down.

Chauvin, who did not fire his gun, and the other cops were placed on a standard three-day administrative leave during the investigation.

Then-police chief Tim Dolan later said the officers, including Chauvin, “acted appropriately and courageously,” NBC News reported.

Chauvin also has been the subject of multiple internal complaints, according to a database compiled by Communities United Against Police Brutality.

CNN reports 18 complaints were filed against him with the Minneapolis Police Department's Internal Affairs.

In three reviews from the Civilian Review Authority, he was found to have used “demeaning tone,” “derogatory language” and “language – other,” according to Insider.

He also has been the subject of seven reviews by the local Office of Police Conduct — all of which conclude: “Closed — No discipline”.

No other details were available on any of the cases.

George Floyd’s death has sparked protests in several cities across the US. Picture: Stephen Maturen/Getty Images/AFP

These protesters called for the officers involved to be prosecuted. Picture: Stephen Maturen/Getty Images/AFP

Meanwhile, another officer seen in the Floyd video — Tou Thao — was also the subject of the lawsuit and settled an excessive-force lawsuit out of court in 2017, according to Insider.

Lamar Ferguson was walking with a pregnant woman in 2014 when Thao and his partner Robert Thunder stopped and searched them, according to the lawsuit.

The cops then began beating Ferguson, according to the legal filings.

Ferguson was subjected to “punches, kicks, and knees to the face and body” while “defenceless and handcuffed” — and suffered “broken teeth as well as other bruising and trauma”.

Thao said in a deposition that he arrested Ferguson because of an outstanding warrant, adding that he punched the suspect when one of his hands slipped out of the handcuffs and he resisted arrest, according to a Star Tribune report.

Parts of this article originally appeared on the New York Post and have been republished with permission.