On May 6, 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice filed in the U.S. District Court in Minneapolis an indictment over the killing of George Floyd on May 25, 2020 against four former Minneapolis policemen (Derek Chauvin, Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Kiernan Lane).
On the same date the Department filed a separate Indictment against Derek Chauvin over his alleged use of unreasonable force against a juvenile in 2017.
The Indictment Over the Death of George Floyd [1]
The Indictment against all four former Minneapolis policemen asserted the following three counts:
- Count 1 charged Derek Chauvin, “while acting under color of law . . . willfully deprived George Floyd of the right, secured and protected by the Constitution and laws of the United States, to be free from an unreasonable seizure, which includes the right to be free from the use of unreasonable force by a police officer.”
- Count 2 charged Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng, “acting under color of law, willfully deprived George Floyd of the right, secured by the Constitution and laws of the United States, to be free from an unreasonable seizure . . . [by failing] to intervene to stop . . . Chauvin’s use of unreasonable force.”
- Count 3 charged all four defendants, “while acting under color of law, willfully deprived George Floyd of the right, secured and protected by the Constitution and laws of the United States, not to be deprived of liberty without due process of law, which includes an arrestee’s right to be free from a police officer’s deliberate indifference to his serious medical needs [when they saw ] George Floyd lying on the ground in clear need of medical care, and willfully failed to aid Floyd, thereby acting with deliberate indifference to a substantial risk of harm to Floyd.”
Initial Hearing of Thao, Kueng and Lane [2]
On May 7, three of the defendants (Thao, Kueng and Lane), who were free on bail in the state criminal case, made their first appearance before U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson, who issued three separate Orders Setting Conditions of Release that included a $25,000 appearance bond and submission to, and cooperation with, a Pretrial Services interview.
Separate Indictment of Chauvin [3]
This Indictment charged Chauvin with two counts for allegedly willfully depriving a 14-year-old Minneapolis boy of his civil rights during a 2017 arrest. Chauvin allegedly pinned the teenager down and struck him on the head with his flashlight, then grabbed him by the throat and hit him again. The second count alleged that Chauvin held his knee on the neck and upper back of the juvenile while he was lying prone, handcuffed and unresisting.
Initial Hearing for Chauvin [4]
On June 1, Chauvin appeared remotely from a state prison before U.S. Magistrate Becky Thomson. She appointed Erik Nelson, who represented Chauvin in the state trial resulting in his conviction, to act as Chauvin’s defense attorney. In response to a question whether Chauvin knew he had a right to a federal detention hearing, he said, “I do know. [but] probably in light of my current circumstances, I believe that would be a moot point.” He then waived his right to a detention hearing and was remanded to federal custody in the state prison
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[1] Federal Court Charges Against Ex-Minneapolis Policemen Over George Floyd’s Killing, dwkcommentaries.com (May 7, 2021); Indictment, U.S. v. Chauvin, Thao, Kueng and Lane, U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota (CR. 21-108 PAM/TNL (May 6, 2021;
[2] Order Setting Conditions of Release, U.S. v. Thao, U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota (CR. 21-108-002 PAM/TNL (May 6, 2021); Order Setting Conditions of Release, U.S. v. Kueng,, U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota (CR. 21-108-003 PAM/TNL (May 6, 2021); Order Setting Conditions of Release, U.S. v. Lane, U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota (CR. 21-108-004 PAM/TNL (May 6, 2021).
[3] Indictment, U.S. v. Chauvin, U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota (CR. 21-109 WMW/HB, May 6, 2021).
[4] Mannix, Derek Chauvin appears before federal judge on civil rights charges, StarTribune (June 1, 2021); Forliti (AP), Chauvin makes appearance on federal charges in Floyd’s death, Wash. Post (June 1, 2021).
