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AFP
Derek Chauvin posted bail and was released from jail Wednesday morning, court records show.
Former US police officer charged with the murder of unarmed Negro George Floyd has been released on bail.
Derek Chauvin posted a $ 1 million (£ 774,000) bail and was released on Wednesday morning, court records show.
The white officer was filmed pressing his knee into Mr. Floyd’s neck for nearly eight minutes before he died on May 25.
Floyd’s death sparked worldwide protests and calls for police reform, spurred by the Black Lives Matter movement.
Chauvin was fired from his job and is now awaiting trial in March of next year on second-degree murder and manslaughter charges. Three other officers, J Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao, were also fired and charged with complicity in the murder.
All four officers charged in connection with the murder of Mr. Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, have now posted bail and are free until their trial next year.
Chauvin had been in the Oak Park Heights, Minnesota, maximum security prison since late May.
In June, a judge set bail of $ 1.25 million with no preconditions, or $ 1 million with conditions that include Chauvin not contacting Floyd’s family, turning in his firearms, and not working in law enforcement or security while awaiting trial.
Chauvin was released on conditional bail, which court records said was guaranteed by a bail bond agency, CBS Minnesota reported.
In the US, bail agents promise to pay the authorities the full amount of bail for defendants if they are unable to pay it or do not appear in court.
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Reuters
Clockwise from top left: Derek Chauvin, Tou Thao, Thomas Lane, and J Alexander Kueng
Chauvin was released from custody shortly before 11:30 a.m. local time (17:30 GMT) on Wednesday, according to the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office.
Ben Crump, a civil rights attorney representing Floyd’s family, said Chauvin’s release on bail was a “painful reminder” that “we are still a long way from achieving justice for George.”
“Although George Floyd was denied justice in life, we will not rest until full justice is served in death,” Crump said.
Currently, the four accused officers are scheduled to face trial together in March, but a judge is considering trying them separately.
The incident that led to his prosecution highlighted deep wounds at racial inequality in America.
The Black Lives Matter demonstrations, some of which turned violent, became a central political issue in the run-up to the November presidential election in the United States.
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