On Monday, June 8, 2020, Derek Chauvin appeared in court for the first time after being charged with the second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter of George Floyd.
Before being fired for the murder of Floyd, Chauvin was an officer with the Minneapolis Police Department for almost 19 years.
The video showing Mr. Chauvin’s knee on the neck of Mr. Floyd for eight minutes and 46 seconds has brought global attention to police brutality and sparked historic protests all over the world.
The other officers on the scene – J. Kueng, Thomas Lane, and Tou Thao, are charged with aiding and abetting in the murder of George Floyd.
As Chauvin stood before Judge Reilly on closed-circuit television in Minnesota, thousands of mourners lined up in Houston, TX, for a public viewing to pay respect and celebrate the life of George Floyd.