Derek Chauvin's bail set at $1.25M for 2nd-degree murder charge in George Floyd's death at 1st court hearing
The unconditional bail for former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin, charged in the killing of George Floyd, was raised to $1.25 million on Monday, June 8. Chauvin made his first court appearance on Monday through a video feed, handcuffed, wearing a blue mask and dressed in an orange jumpsuit. The hearing lasted for about 15 minutes.
The prosecutor in the case, Matthew Frank, had asked Circuit Court Judge Jeannice Reding to raise his bail arguing the "severity of the charges" made the former officer a possible flight risk. There were no objections from Chauvin and his lawyer, Eric Nelton, to the bail amount. The 44-year-old former officer faces charged of second-degree murder without intent, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter.
Chauvin, similar to his fellow officers arrested in Floyd's killing, was offered a reduced bail of $1 million if he agrees to certain conditions, including not working in security or law enforcement, not leaving Minnesota, and surrendering all firearms and permits. Judge Reding said that if Chauvin posts bail, his release would be supervised.
"The defendant placed his knee on Mr. Floyd's neck for approximately nine minutes," Frank said. "The death of Mr. Floyd has had a strong reaction in the community, to put it mildly."
Four Minneapolis police officers allegedly involved in Floyd's brutal death were fired on May 26 after a video of the incident went viral on social media. The footage showed Floyd pleading with officers as one of them, Chauvin, knelt on his neck while the 46-year-old told them to let him stand because he could not breathe. The clip showed Floyd pleading with the officer to allow him to breathe and a few minutes later he became unconscious. Floyd's death has sparked massive protests and unrest in Minneapolis and across the country.
Four days after the killing, Chauvin was charged with Floyd's murder. He is currently being held on $1 million bail at the state prison at Oak Park Heights. The other three officers involved in the killing, Chauvin’s former colleagues, J Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane, and Tou Thao have also been arrested and charged as accomplices. They were charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter and are currently in Hennepin County jail on $1 million bail without conditions or $750,000 bail with conditions. Their next scheduled court appearance is on June 29.
Chauvin, who did not enter a plea during Monday's court appearance, is also scheduled to appear next in court on June 29.
Floyd's death has sparked widespread protests across the world, with protesters seeking federal reform against police brutality in the country. Earlier days of the protests had also seen days of unrest, including rioting and looting. The demonstrations, since then, have remained largely peaceful. Meanwhile, Floyd's final memorial service is being held in Houston on Monday in the city where he grew up before moving to Minneapolis to make a living. Thousands from across the country are expected to attend the service.