Derek Shovin
The prime suspect in the murder of African-American George Floyd, former police officer Derek Shovin, first appeared in court in Minneapolis. Reported by the Associated Press.
He was not present at the previous hearings, but followed the process online from prison. This time, Chauvin, arriving at the courtroom, tried not to meet the eyes of the other suspects.
The agency writes that at a meeting on September 11, prosecutors released documents claiming that since 2014, the suspected police officer used technical means to suffocate seven times during arrests, and in four of these cases, Chauvin, according to prosecutors, went too far, into including the arrest of Floyd.
The publication reports that at the hearings, the lawyers of the four defendants demanded separate trials for their clients. The suspects are known to blame each other for the death of the African American.
In July, it became known that another police officer arrested for the murder of Floyd was released on bail of $ 750,000. This is a former police officer Tu Tao. According to the agreements, he must fulfill a number of conditions set by the court, including speaking at hearings, avoiding wrongdoing and not getting involved with the victim's family. In June, bail was paid for former officers Thomas Lane and James Kuang, who are involved in the case.
Floyd, 46, was arrested on May 25 outside a grocery store in Minneapolis. He allegedly paid with a fake check. Militiamen dragged him out of the car and laid him on the asphalt. Chauvin roughly crushed Floyd with his knee, and he, without resisting, began to complain that he had nothing to breathe. Soon the arrested person died from strangulation. Four police officers were fired after the incident.
Police actions caused massive pogroms in the United States. Protesters blame police for Floyd's death, and also allege unfair treatment of blacks in the country.
