Policeman charged in George Floyd’s death held on US$1 million bond

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A judge on Monday kept bail at $1 million for a Minneapolis police officer charged with second-degree murder in George Floyd’s death.

Derek Chauvin, 44, said almost nothing during an 11-minute hearing in which he appeared before Hennepin County Judge Jeannice M. Reding on closed-circuit television from the state’s maximum security prison in Oak Park Heights.

A judge raised Chauvin’s unconditional bond from $500,000 to $1 million when a second-degree murder charge was added on Wednesday.

Monday’s hearing was a chance for arguments over the higher bail.

Chauvin’s attorney, Eric Nelson, did not contest the increased bail and didn’t address the substance of the charges, which also include third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

Nelson did not speak with reporters afterward.

Chauvin’s next appearance was set for June 29 at 1:30 p.m.

Floyd, a handcuffed black man, died May 25 after the white police officer pressed his knee into his neck for several minutes even after Floyd stopped moving and pleading for air.

His death set off protests, some violent, in Minneapolis that swiftly spread to cities around the US and the globe.

Chauvin and three other officers on the scene were fired the day after Floyd’s death.

The other three officers — J. Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao — are charged with aiding and abetting. 

They remain in the Hennepin County jail on $750,000 bond.

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