# Derek Chauvin *Former Minneapolis police officer convicted of the 2020 murder of George Floyd* Derek Michael Chauvin (born 1976) is a former officer of the [[Minneapolis Police Department]]. He was found guilty of murdering George Floyd, whom he restrained during an arrest in [[Minneapolis]] on May 25, 2020.[^1] During the arrest Chauvin knelt on Floyd's neck while Floyd lay handcuffed and face down on the street. Protests followed in Minneapolis, elsewhere in the United States and abroad.[^1] The state prosecution was docketed in Hennepin County District Court as 27-CR-20-12646. It ended in Chauvin's conviction on April 20, 2021. The case record states that the [[Hennepin County Attorney]] was disqualified on September 11, 2020, and that the [[Minnesota Attorney General]] completed the case.[^2] Chauvin was convicted of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, and he was sentenced to 22.5 years. The [[Minnesota Supreme Court]] and the [[Supreme Court of the United States]] both declined to review the case.[^1][^3] A federal grand jury indicted Chauvin on civil rights charges on May 7, 2021. The [[United States Department of Justice]] later announced that he had pleaded guilty to a federal civil rights charge.[^1][^4] He also pleaded guilty in a [[Washington County, Minnesota]] tax case in 2023.[^1] [[Keith Ellison]] led the state prosecution as attorney general. According to the project's Time Table, by April 2026 he was defending the State against a pending federal suit, [[United States v. State of Minnesota (0:26-cv-00273)]].[^5] ## Who Chauvin was born in 1976 and spent his early childhood in West Saint Paul. He left Park High School in [[Cottage Grove]] without graduating and earned a GED in 1994. He later completed a certificate in quantity food preparation at Dakota County Technical College and worked as a prep cook.[^1] He was a member of the U.S. Army Reserve from 1996 to 2004. Between 1996 and 2000 that service included two military police assignments, one in Rochester, Minnesota, and one in Hohenfels, Germany. He attended Inver Hills Community College from 1995 to 1999, and in 2006 he received a bachelor's degree in law enforcement from Metropolitan State University.[^1] Chauvin applied to the Minneapolis Police Department in September 2000 and joined the force in 2001. He took part in three police shootings, one of them fatal.[^1] On October 29, 2006, he was one of six officers who fired 43 rounds in four seconds at Wayne Reyes, killing him. In 2007 a grand jury declined to charge any of the officers, finding the use of force justified.[^1] The department awarded Chauvin a medal for valor for the 2006 shooting and another medal in 2008. It also gave him commendation medals in 2008 and 2009.[^1] ## What On May 25, 2020, Chauvin was one of four officers who arrested Floyd after a store clerk alleged that Floyd had paid with a counterfeit $20 bill. Chauvin was also the field training officer for one of the other three officers.[^1] With Floyd handcuffed and prone, Chauvin kept his knee on Floyd's neck for more than nine minutes while Floyd repeatedly said "I can't breathe". For the last two minutes, Floyd did not move and had no pulse.[^1] The project's Time Table rows put the restraint at 9 minutes 29 seconds and name the other officers as [[Tou Thao]], [[J. Alexander Kueng]] and [[Thomas Lane]].[^6] The department fired Chauvin and the other officers the next day.[^1] On the restraint itself, the Wikipedia article states that knee-to-neck restraints were permitted in Minnesota under certain circumstances. The Time Table rows describe the neck restraint as an authorized technique in MPD use-of-force policy.[^1][^6] Chauvin was arrested on May 29, 2020, and was booked at Ramsey County's Adult Detention Center in Saint Paul before he was transferred to a state prison.[^1] He was convicted in the state case on April 20, 2021.[^2] He was sentenced on June 25, 2021.[^6] In February 2021 the Department of Justice convened a grand jury. It examined the Floyd arrest and a September 2017 incident in which Chauvin restrained a 14-year-old boy with a knee to the back and struck him with a flashlight. The 2017 incident had been ruled inadmissible at the murder trial.[^1] On May 7, 2021, the grand jury indicted Chauvin and the three other officers for civil rights violations in Floyd's death. In a separate indictment it charged Chauvin over the 2017 arrest. On September 16, 2021, he pleaded not guilty to the 2017 counts.[^1] The Department of Justice announced that Chauvin had pleaded guilty to a federal civil rights charge of deprivation of rights under color of law. The project's Time Table dates the plea to May 25, 2022, the second anniversary of Floyd's death.[^4] On July 22, 2020, after the murder charge, Washington County charged Chauvin and his wife separately with nine counts of felony tax evasion. The charges concerned state income tax returns for 2014 through 2019, and prosecutors alleged that the couple had under-reported joint income by $464,433.[^1] Chauvin pleaded guilty in case 82-CR-20-2813 in [[Washington County District Court]] on March 17, 2023. He received a 13-month sentence, to run concurrently with his murder sentence.[^1] In June 2020, eight correctional officers at the Ramsey County jail filed a discrimination complaint against their supervisors with the [[Minnesota Department of Human Rights]]. The complaint alleged that during Chauvin's stay, non-White guards were barred from the fifth floor where he was held. The department said it would investigate.[^1] In February 2021 the Star Tribune reported that the group had filed discrimination charges and pursued legal action against Superintendent Steve Lydon and Ramsey County.[^1] On November 24, 2023, another inmate stabbed Chauvin 22 times in the law library at FCI Tucson, where he was serving his concurrent state and federal sentences.[^1] Federal prosecutors charged that inmate, John Turscak, 52, with attempted murder and assault offenses.[^1] Attorney General Ellison condemned the attack. He said Chauvin "was duly convicted of his crimes" and should be able to serve his sentence "without fear of retaliation or violence."[^1] On May 30, 2026, the [[Republican Party of Minnesota]] held a moment of silence for Chauvin at a delegate's request. Ellison called the decision "disturbing."[^1] ## When - May 25, 2020: Floyd's arrest and death in Minneapolis.[^6][^1] - May 26, 2020: Ellison was named lead prosecutor, as the Time Table records from a CBS News report.[^7] - May 29, 2020: Chauvin was arrested and booked in Ramsey County.[^1] - July 22, 2020: Washington County filed tax-evasion charges.[^1] - September 11, 2020: the Hennepin County Attorney was disqualified from the state case.[^2] - March 12, 2021: Minneapolis reached its $27 million settlement with Floyd's family during jury selection.[^8] - April 20, 2021: Chauvin was convicted in the state case.[^2] - May 7, 2021: federal civil rights indictments were returned.[^1] - June 25, 2021: Chauvin was sentenced to 22.5 years.[^6] - May 25, 2022: Chauvin entered a federal guilty plea, per the Time Table.[^4] - March 17, 2023: Chauvin pleaded guilty in the tax case.[^1] - November 24, 2023: Chauvin was stabbed at FCI Tucson.[^1] ## Where - The arrest took place at 38th Street and Chicago Avenue South, Minneapolis.[^6] - Chauvin was booked at the Adult Detention Center, Ramsey County, Saint Paul.[^1] - The tax case was heard in Washington County District Court.[^1] - Chauvin was stabbed at FCI Tucson.[^1] ## How The state case was opened in Hennepin County in 2020 under Minn. Stat. ch. 609.[^2] The project's Time Table cites a CBS News report for its account of the prosecutor's appointment. According to that account, Governor Walz named Ellison lead prosecutor on May 26, 2020, bypassing Hennepin County Attorney [[Michael Freeman]].[^7] The case record states that the county attorney's office was disqualified on September 11, 2020, and that the Attorney General's office completed the case.[^2] ## How much - Chauvin was sentenced to 22.5 years in the state case.[^1] - The City of Minneapolis settled with Floyd's family for $27 million on March 12, 2021.[^8] - In the tax case, prosecutors alleged $464,433 in under-reported income. They alleged this included more than $95,000 from Chauvin's security work and unpaid sales tax on a $100,000 BMW. The sentence in that case was 13 months.[^1] ## How many - The Wikipedia article records 18 complaints on Chauvin's official record, two of which ended in letters of reprimand.[^1] The project's Time Table rows give 17 prior civilian complaints in 19 years and state that none produced discipline affecting his employment.[^6] - Four officers took part in the arrest.[^1] - Chauvin took part in three police shootings during his career, one of them fatal.[^1] - The tax case carried nine felony counts.[^1] - Chauvin suffered 22 stab wounds at FCI Tucson.[^1] ## In the at-issue record - **Pattern-or-practice investigation.** The project's at-issue entry AI-029 states that the Department of Justice opened its [[Minneapolis pattern-or-practice investigation]] on April 21, 2021, one day after the [[Chauvin verdict]].[^9] - **Freeman's retirement.** At-issue entry AI-097 states that Michael Freeman announced his retirement on [[September 1, 2021]]. That was five months after the conviction in the case from which his office had been disqualified. The entry presents this as sequence, not causation.[^10] - **Sherburne County Jail.** At-issue entry AI-092 records a negative finding: Chauvin was not held at the [[Sherburne County Jail]]. Neither were Thao, Kueng or Lane, all three of whom were released on bond before trial.[^11] This is consistent with the Wikipedia account of Chauvin's booking in Ramsey County.[^1] ## In the Minnesota record ### Who - **Keith Ellison.** Ellison led the state prosecution after the Hennepin County Attorney's disqualification.[^2][^7] The project's Time Table records that as of April 2026 Ellison was defending the State in United States v. State of Minnesota.[^5] - **Michael Freeman.** The project's dossier on Freeman draws on his Legislative Reference Library record. It states that he served in the [[Minnesota Senate]] for District 40 from 1982 to 1991. It also states that he served as Hennepin County Attorney from 1991 to 1999 and again from 2007 to 2023, and that he charged Chauvin and three other officers in 2020.[^12] ### What - **Filing and the DOJ release.** On January 14, 2026, the United States filed United States v. State of Minnesota, No. 0:26-cv-00273 (D. Minn.), under [[Title VII]] of the [[Civil Rights Act of 1964]].[^5] The Department of Justice announced the filing in release No. 26-21, titled *United States Department of Justice Files Lawsuit Against Minnesota's 'Affirmative Action' Regime*. The release quotes the United States' own term for the State's apparatus, "Minnesota's 'Affirmative Action' Regime." Attorney General Pamela Bondi certified the case as a matter of general public importance.[^13] - **The complaint.** The complaint cites [[Minn. Stat. § 43A.191]] eight times. Among the provisions cited is subdivision 3(c)'s requirement that an agency explain its reason for hiring a non-affirmative candidate.[^5] The complaint's allegations are pending, and the record does not establish an outcome.[^5] - **Use of the term "regime".** The project's catalogue of U.S.-government "regime" usages (*[[How Minnesota Got Here]]*, note 40) finds Minnesota the only U.S. state so described. The term appears elsewhere in federal law: the [[Iraq Liberation Act]] of 1998 (Pub. L. 105-338) states a policy of supporting efforts to remove "the regime headed by Saddam Hussein."[^14] - **Ames.** In [[Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services]], 605 U.S. 303 (2025), the Supreme Court held that Title VII's disparate-treatment provision "draws no distinctions between majority-group plaintiffs and minority-group plaintiffs." The Court rejected the Sixth Circuit's heightened "background circumstances" rule for majority-group plaintiffs.[^15] ## Notes [^1]: Wikipedia contributors, *Derek Chauvin* (revision 1380638818, retrieved 2026-10-27) — biography, career, arrest, charges, appeals, federal indictments, tax case, Ramsey County complaint, prison attack, 2026 commemoration. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derek_Chauvin [^2]: Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse, *State of Minnesota v. Derek Chauvin and related prosecutions*, Hennepin County District Court No. 27-CR-20-12646 (filed 2020) — docket, Minn. Stat. ch. 609, conviction April 20, 2021, county attorney disqualified September 11, 2020, AG completed the case. https://clearinghouse.net/case/18178/ [^3]: Wikipedia contributors, *State of Minnesota v. Derek Michael Chauvin* — trial of Derek Chauvin. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_of_Minnesota_v._Derek_Michael_Chauvin [^4]: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, *Former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin Pleads Guilty to Federal Civil Rights Charge* (date not carried in the pack; Time Table row TL-0916 dates the plea May 25, 2022) — federal guilty plea. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/former-minneapolis-police-officer-derek-chauvin-pleads-guilty-federal-civil-rights-charge [^5]: United States, *Complaint*, United States v. State of Minnesota, No. 0:26-cv-00273 (D. Minn. filed Jan. 14, 2026) — Title VII claims; cites Minn. Stat. § 43A.191 eight times including subd. 3(c); Time Table row TL-0958 (Apr. 2026) records Ellison defending the State. https://www.justice.gov/crt/media/1423361/dl [^6]: Wikipedia contributors, *Murder of George Floyd*, as carried in Minnesota Time Table rows TL-0881, TL-0894 and TL-0910 — location, 9-minute-29-second figure, officers present, complaint count, MPD policy, sentencing date June 25, 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_George_Floyd [^7]: CBS News, report on Keith Ellison leading the George Floyd case prosecution, as carried in Time Table row TL-0883 (May 26, 2020) — appointment of Ellison as lead prosecutor. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/keith-ellison-george-floyd-case-prosecution/ [^8]: NPR, *Minneapolis Reaches $27 Million Settlement With Family of George Floyd* (Mar. 12, 2021) — settlement amount and date. https://www.npr.org/2021/03/12/976525200/minneapolis-reaches-27-million-settlement-with-family-of-george-floyd [^9]: The White House, fact sheet on the establishment of a new Department of Justice division for national fraud enforcement (Jan. 2026) — anchor document of the project's at-issue entry AI-029; the entry's underlying docket source is not carried in the pack. https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2026/01/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-establishes-new-department-of-justice-division-for-national-fraud-enforcement/ [^10]: The White House, presidential action *Stopping Waste, Fraud, and Abuse by Eliminating Information Silos* (Mar. 2025) — anchor document of the project's at-issue entry AI-097. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/stopping-waste-fraud-and-abuse-by-eliminating-information-silos/ [^11]: The White House, presidential action *Establishing the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud* (Mar. 2026) — anchor document of the project's at-issue entry AI-092 (negative finding, Sherburne County Jail). https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/03/establishing-the-task-force-to-eliminate-fraud/ [^12]: Minnesota Legislative Reference Library, *Legislators Past & Present* entry for Michael O. Freeman, as cited in the project's Freeman dossier (note 14; graded S) — Senate and county attorney service. https://www.lrl.mn.gov/legdb/fulldetail?id=10197 [^13]: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, release No. 26-21, *United States Department of Justice Files Lawsuit Against Minnesota's 'Affirmative Action' Regime* (Jan. 14, 2026) — filing and Attorney General's certification. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/united-states-department-justice-files-lawsuit-against-minnesotas-affirmative-action-regime [^14]: U.S. Congress, *Iraq Liberation Act of 1998*, Pub. L. 105-338 — statutory use of "the regime headed by Saddam Hussein." https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/PLAW-105publ338/pdf/PLAW-105publ338.pdf [^15]: Supreme Court of the United States, *Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services*, 605 U.S. 303 (2025) — holding on Title VII disparate treatment. https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/23-1039_c0n2.pdf