The former white Minneapolis Police Officer, Derek Chauvin who was arrested and charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter over the death of George Floyd has been placed on a suicide watch and being checked on every 15 minutes. He is being held in a single cell in Ramsey County Jail, in St. Paul, Minnesota, a single cell in a part of the facility set aside for high-profile cases.
Chauvin is said to have 23 hours in his cell a day with one hour for recreation. He also has access to books, pencils and paper.
Derek Chauvin, 44 years-old former police officer was arrested Friday and charged with the murder of George Floyd
A footage of his arrest shows Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck for more than eight minutes until he passed out and later died, his death has sparked outrage and demonstrations across the country calling for Chauvin and the other offices involved to be charged, Floyd, 46, died on Memorial Day in police custody after being arrested for allegedly trying to use a counterfeit $20 bill at a deli.
Over the weekend, the criminal complaint filed against Chauvin cited the preliminary findings from a Tuesday autopsy conducted by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner which saw “no physical findings that support a diagnosis of traumatic asphyxiation or strangulation”.
“Mr. Floyd had underlying health conditions including coronary artery disease and hypertensive heart disease,’ The combined effects of Mr. Floyd being restrained by police, his underlying health conditions and any potential intoxicants in his system likely contributed to his death”, said the complaint from the Hennepin County Attorney.
The full medical examiner’s report is pending but Floyd’s family have hired the services of former New York medical officer Dr. Michael Baden to perform a second independent autopsy.
