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The lead officer charged with the murder of George Floyd, the African-American man whose death sparked a mass protest movement, was released on $ 1 million bail, according to court records.
Derek Chauvin, who was videotaped pressing his knee to handcuff Mr. Floyd’s neck during an arrest in May until Mr. Floyd went limp, is charged with second and third degree murder and manslaughter.
The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office published a notice of his release after more than four months in jail, after Chauvin was able to post the heavy bond.
The 44-year-old former Minneapolis police officer, who has since been fired, will face trial in March 2021 along with three other now former police officers for Floyd’s death, which sparked the largest anti-racist movement in the United States since the 1960s.
The other three, Thomas Lane, Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao, who either stood by or participated in holding Floyd when he was killed, are charged with aiding and abetting second degree murder and manslaughter.
Floyd’s death on May 25 became a symbol of what many say is systemic racism and abuse of African Americans by police, and sparked protests across the country that continue under the banner of “Black Lives Matter.” .
Prosecutors called the death, which occurred after Mr. Floyd was arrested for allegedly using a counterfeit $ 20 bill, “vicious, brutal and dehumanizing.”
All four defendants say the decision to immobilize Mr. Floyd was reasonably justified, and they have also cited forensic evidence that drugs found in his system may have been the leading cause of death.
All of the officers were fired a day after Floyd’s death, reflecting the growing seriousness with which American cities are beginning to take allegations of police abuse.
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