Derek Chauvin

Derek Chauvin
Mugshot of Chauvin from April 2021
Born
Derek Michael Chauvin

1976 (age 4849)
EducationDakota County Technical College
Alma materMetropolitan State University (BS)
Known forMurder of George Floyd
Criminal statusIncarcerated at FCI Big Spring
Convictions
TrialTrial of Derek Chauvin
Criminal penalty
  • Federal sentence: 21 years imprisonment
  • State sentence: 22+12 years imprisonment
Details
Victims
  • George Floyd (murdered)
  • Unnamed juvenile (unreasonable force)
Date
  • May 25, 2020 (murder of Floyd)
  • September 4, 2017 (unreasonable force to juvenile)
CountryUnited States
StateMinnesota
Date apprehended
May 29, 2020
Imprisoned atFCI Big Spring
Police career
DepartmentMinneapolis Police Department
Service years2001–2020
Military career
AllegianceUnited States
Service / branchUnited States Army Reserve
Years1996–2004

Derek Michael Chauvin (/ˈʃvən/ SHOH-vən; born 1976) is an American former police officer who murdered George Floyd, a 46-year-old African American man, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

On May 25, 2020, Floyd was arrested after a store clerk alleged that he made a purchase using a counterfeit $20 bill. In the course of the arrest, Chauvin knelt on Floyd's neck for about nine minutes while Floyd was handcuffed and lying face down on the street and calling out "I can't breathe". The murder set off a series of protests in Minneapolis, across the United States, and around the world, in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.

In early 2021, Chauvin was put on trial for unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter and convicted on all of the charges. He was sentenced to 22+12 years in prison. Appeals to the Minnesota Supreme Court and the Supreme Court of the United States for review were denied.