Derek Chauvin — Murder of George Floyd

On the evening of May 25, 2020, George Perry Floyd Jr., a 46-year-old Black man, was killed by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin during an arrest outside Cup Foods, a convenience store on Chicago Avenue in south Minneapolis. Officers had been called to the scene after a store clerk alleged that Floyd had used a counterfeit $20 bill ^[1]. What followed became one of the most consequential acts of police violence in American history, igniting a global reckoning over race, policing, and justice.

Four officers responded to the call: Derek Chauvin, a 19-year veteran of the Minneapolis Police Department, along with officers Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng, and Thomas Lane ^[1]. After a struggle near the squad car, Floyd was forced to the ground, handcuffed and lying face down on the pavement. Chauvin pressed his knee into Floyd's neck and kept it there for approximately nine minutes and 29 seconds ^[2]. During that time, Floyd repeatedly cried out, "I can't breathe," and called for his mother. Kueng knelt on Floyd's back, Lane held his legs, and Thao stood nearby keeping bystanders away ^[5]. Floyd became unresponsive, and paramedics who arrived found him pulseless. He was pronounced dead at Hennepin County Medical Center ^[1].

The killing was captured on video by Darnella Frazier, a 17-year-old bystander who had been walking to the store with her nine-year-old cousin ^[6]. Her roughly ten-minute recording, posted to Facebook that night, showed the full duration of Chauvin's restraint and Floyd's pleas. The video spread rapidly across social media, contradicting an initial Minneapolis Police Department statement that had characterized Floyd's death as a "medical incident during police interaction" ^[6]. Frazier later testified at Chauvin's trial and received the PEN/Benenson Courage Award for her role in documenting the killing. President Biden called her "a brave young woman with a smartphone camera" ^[6].

The four officers were fired the day after Floyd's death. Chauvin was arrested and charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter on May 29, 2020 -- charges that were later upgraded to include second-degree unintentional murder ^[1]. His arrest came amid rapidly escalating protests. On May 28, demonstrators overran and set fire to the Minneapolis Police Department's Third Precinct station, the building that had housed all four officers ^[7]. Mayor Jacob Frey had ordered the precinct evacuated, stating, "The symbolism of a building cannot outweigh the importance of life" ^[7]. The National Guard was activated as unrest spread ^[7].

The protests following Floyd's death grew into the largest civil rights demonstrations in American history. By June 2020, protests had occurred in over 2,000 cities across the United States and in more than 60 countries internationally ^[1]. The movement rallied under the slogan "Black Lives Matter" and demanded systemic reforms to policing, accountability for officers who use excessive force, and broader racial justice.

Chauvin's state trial began on March 8, 2021, in Hennepin County, presided over by Judge Peter Cahill ^[3]. Prosecutor Steve Schleicher told the jury, "This wasn't policing. This was murder" ^[2]. The defense argued that Floyd's death resulted from drug use and underlying health conditions. On April 20, 2021, after more than ten hours of deliberation over two days, the jury of six white and six Black or multiracial members found Chauvin guilty on all three counts: second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter ^[2][3]. It was the first conviction of a white police officer in Minnesota for the killing of a Black person ^[1].

On June 25, 2021, Judge Cahill sentenced Chauvin to 22.5 years in prison, exceeding the Minnesota sentencing guideline range of 10 years and 8 months to 15 years ^[4]. In his sentencing memorandum, the judge cited two aggravating factors: abuse of a position of trust and authority, and particular cruelty, writing that Chauvin "treated Floyd without respect and denied him the dignity owed to all human beings" ^[4].

Chauvin also faced federal prosecution. In December 2021, he pleaded guilty to federal civil rights charges, admitting he had deprived Floyd of his constitutional rights. He also admitted to violating the civil rights of a 14-year-old boy in a separate 2017 incident involving excessive force ^[5]. On July 7, 2022, Senior U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson sentenced Chauvin to 252 months (21 years) in federal prison, with seven months credit for time served, to run concurrently with his state sentence ^[5].

The three other officers were tried separately on federal civil rights charges. On February 24, 2022, Thao, Kueng, and Lane were all found guilty of depriving Floyd of his right to medical care. Thao and Kueng were additionally convicted of failing to intervene to stop Chauvin ^[8]. Lane received 2.5 years, Kueng received 3 years, and Thao received 3.5 years in federal prison ^[8].

Chauvin's appeals were unsuccessful. A three-judge panel of the Minnesota Court of Appeals affirmed his conviction in April 2023, and the Minnesota Supreme Court declined to review the case in July 2023 ^[1].

On November 24, 2023, Chauvin was stabbed at the Federal Correctional Institution in Tucson, Arizona ^[9]. He was hospitalized in critical condition but survived. The attacker, John Turscak, was later charged with attempted murder ^[9].

Floyd's death also drove institutional change in Minneapolis. The U.S. Department of Justice opened a pattern-or-practice investigation into the Minneapolis Police Department and released a scathing report in June 2023 finding systemic racial discrimination, constitutional violations, and unjustified use of deadly force ^[10]. On January 6, 2025, the Minneapolis City Council unanimously approved a federal consent decree mandating sweeping police reforms under long-term court supervision, including changes to use-of-force policies, bans on handcuffing children under 14, and requirements that officers intervene when colleagues violate department rules ^[10].

State Criminal Charges

Derek Michael Chauvin, a 19-year veteran of the Minneapolis Police Department, was initially charged on May 29, 2020, with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in connection with the death of George Perry Floyd Jr. on May 25, 2020 ^[1]. The charges were subsequently upgraded by the Hennepin County Attorney's Office to include second-degree unintentional murder, the most serious charge carrying a maximum sentence of 40 years ^[1].

State Trial and Verdict

The trial of Derek Chauvin commenced on March 8, 2021, in Hennepin County District Court before Judge Peter Cahill ^[2]. The prosecution, led by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison's office, presented testimony from medical experts, use-of-force specialists, and bystander witnesses, including Darnella Frazier, whose video recording was central to the case ^[2]. The defense argued that Floyd's death was caused by drug intoxication and pre-existing cardiac conditions rather than Chauvin's restraint. On April 20, 2021, the jury returned guilty verdicts on all three counts: second-degree unintentional murder under Minnesota Statute 609.19, third-degree murder under 609.195, and second-degree manslaughter under 609.205 ^[2][3]. Chauvin's bail was immediately revoked and he was taken into custody ^[3].

State Sentencing

Judge Cahill sentenced Chauvin on June 25, 2021, to 270 months (22.5 years) in prison, substantially exceeding the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines presumptive range of 128 to 180 months (10 years 8 months to 15 years) for a first-time offender convicted of second-degree unintentional murder ^[4]. In a 22-page sentencing memorandum, the court found two aggravating factors that justified an upward departure from the guidelines: (1) that Chauvin abused his position of trust and authority as a police officer, and (2) that the offense involved particular cruelty, as Chauvin "treated Floyd without respect and denied him the dignity owed to all human beings" and "remained indifferent to Mr. Floyd's pleas" while Floyd was "obviously terrified by the knowledge that he was likely to die" ^[4]. Under Minnesota law, Chauvin must serve two-thirds of the sentence (15 years) before becoming eligible for supervised release ^[4].

State Appeals

Chauvin's appeal to the Minnesota Court of Appeals was denied in April 2023, with a three-judge panel affirming the conviction. His subsequent petition to the Minnesota Supreme Court for further review was denied in July 2023 ^[1].

Federal Civil Rights Charges

In May 2021, a federal grand jury indicted Chauvin on charges of depriving Floyd of his constitutional rights under color of law, in violation of 18 U.S.C. Section 242. In December 2021, Chauvin entered a guilty plea to the federal charges as part of a plea agreement. He admitted both to the willful deprivation of Floyd's rights and, in a separate count, to violating the civil rights of a 14-year-old boy in a 2017 incident involving unreasonable force ^[5]. On July 7, 2022, Senior U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson sentenced Chauvin to 252 months in federal prison, with credit for seven months of time served, resulting in an effective sentence of 245 months (approximately 21 years). The federal sentence was ordered to run concurrently with the state sentence ^[5].

Co-Defendant Officers: Federal Prosecution

The three other officers present during Floyd's death -- Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng, and Thomas Lane -- were tried jointly in federal court on charges of violating Floyd's civil rights. On February 24, 2022, all three were found guilty of depriving Floyd of his right to medical care by demonstrating deliberate indifference to his serious medical needs. Thao and Kueng were additionally convicted of willfully failing to intervene to stop Chauvin's use of unreasonable force ^[6]. Lane was sentenced to 2.5 years, Kueng to 3 years, and Thao to 3.5 years in federal prison ^[6].

Institutional Reform: Consent Decrees

The U.S. Department of Justice opened a civil pattern-or-practice investigation into the Minneapolis Police Department following Floyd's death. The DOJ's June 2023 report found that the department had engaged in systemic racial discrimination, violated constitutional rights, used unjustified deadly force, and disregarded the safety of people in custody ^[7]. On January 6, 2025, the Minneapolis City Council voted unanimously (12-0) to approve a federal consent decree mandating sweeping police reforms, including changes to use-of-force policies, a ban on handcuffing children under 14, requirements for officer intervention, and the appointment of an independent court monitor ^[7]. The city also operates under a separate state consent decree approved in 2023 following an investigation by the Minnesota Department of Human Rights ^[7].