Wife of Derek Chauvin, the ex-cop charged with George Floyd's murder, files for divorce

vt-author-image

By VT

Article saved!Article saved!

The US - and the rest of the world - is still reeling from the death of 46-year-old George Floyd.

Yesterday it was revealed that Derek Chauvin, the fired police officer recorded kneeling on Floyd's neck, had been detained and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter.

More on Chauvin's arrest below:

The 19-year veteran was arrested by the state’s bureau of criminal apprehension.

Hennepin County attorney Mike Freeman revealed in a statement: "We are in the process of continuing to review the evidence. There may be additional charges later."

Now, Chauvin's wife has filed for divorce, according to a statement from her lawyers.

Per Insider, Kellie Chauvin's attorneys said:

"This evening, I spoke with Kellie Chauvin and her family. She is devastated by Mr. Floyd's death and her utmost sympathy lies with his family, with his loved ones and with everyone who is grieving this tragedy. She has filed for dissolution of her marriage to Derek Chauvin.

"While Ms. Chauvin has no children from her current marriage, she respectfully requests that her children, her elder parents, and her extended family be given safety and privacy during this difficult time."

Per the Guardian, after reviewing the bodycam footage of Floyd's arrest, state charging documents allege that the now-former Minneapolis police officer held his knee on Floyd’s neck for a total of nearly nine minutes.

It also states that Chauvin kept his knee on Floyd's neck for two minutes and 43 seconds after Floyd had become non-responsive.

Floyd's family has since released a statement calling Chauvin's arrest a "welcome but overdue step on the road to justice” and added that members “expected a first-degree murder charge" - which they still demand.

"The pain that the black community feels over this murder and what it reflects about the treatment of black people in America is raw and spilling out on to streets across [the country]," the statement added.

Under Minnesota law, a first-degree murder charge would require prosecutors to prove Chauvin’s actions were willful and premeditated.

In footage of the arrest, George Floyd can be heard pleading for help - repeatedly telling officers that he couldn't breathe. He then became unresponsive during the arrest and was later pronounced dead.

Prior to his death, officers were alerted that Floyd had been allegedly using a counterfeit twenty-dollar bill, CBS reported.

After locating Floyd in his car, the two officers said he "physically resisted" arrested.

A Minneapolis police spokesman said in a news briefing early on Tuesday: "Officers were able to get the suspect into handcuffs and realized that the suspect was suffering medical distress. Officers called for an ambulance. He was transported to Hennepin County Medical Center where he died a short time later."

However, video footage of the arrest that was captured by a bystander caused uproar across the nation, as it shows Chauvin kneeling on Floyd's neck until he became motionless.

The woman who captured the footage, Darnella Frazier, wrote on Facebook: "They killed him right in front of cup foods over south on 38th and Chicago!! No type of sympathy #POLICEBRUTALITY."

*We will not be sharing the video, but it can be found on Miss Frazier's Facebook page HERE

The footage shows Floyd being restrained on the ground and handcuffed, as the white officer presses his knee onto Floyd's neck.

Floyd can be heard crying out: "Please, I can't breathe." But despite his pleads, Chauvin did not move. Another officer can be seen watching on without intervening.

As Chauvin continued to hold his knee on Floyd's neck, a passerby screams: "That's bulls**t, bro. You're stopping his breathing right there, bro. Get him off the ground, bro," adding that the officer was "enjoying it".

Floyd then becomes motionless.

After several minutes, paramedics arrived on the scene, but George Floyd was sadly pronounced dead later that day.

Credit: 5161

Civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump - the man who first publicly identified George Floyd - confirmed in a statement that he was representing his family. Crump added:

"We all watched the horrific death of George Floyd on video as witnesses begged the police officer to take him into the police car and get off his neck.

"This abusive, excessive, and inhumane use of force cost the life of a man who was being detained by the police for questioning about a non-violent charge."

Yesterday, riots ensued across the country - in Minnesota, Louisville, New York, and Denver.

In Louisville, Kentucky, seven rioters were shot - with Louisville Metro Police confirming in a statement that at least one of those victims is in a critical condition.

Credit: 6309

President Trump tweeted last night that "when the looting starts, the shooting starts", writing:

"I can’t stand back & watch this happen to a great American City, Minneapolis. A total lack of leadership. Either the very weak Radical Left Mayor, Jacob Frey, get his act together and bring the City under control, or I will send in the National Guard & get the job done right

"These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won’t let that happen. Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you!"

Credit: 7161

He later confirmed that the National Guard had been deployed to Minnesota. He added that Floyd will not have died in vain and asked that people "respect his memory".

Credit: 7531

On Wednesday, two new videos of Floyd's arrest surfaced, showing the moment cops wrestled him out of a car and onto the ground.

Fox9 News reporter Alex Lehnert shared the first video to Twitter, along with the caption:

"New video sent to us shows the moment George Floyd was removed from his vehicle and handcuffed on 38th and Chicago. Video courtesy of Christopher Belfrey."

The first video can be seen below:

In the video above was obtained by Fox9News, and was recorded in a parked car behind the vehicle Floyd was sitting in.

In the footage, two police officers can be seen struggling to remove Floyd from the driver's side of a vehicle.

A second video, captured by the surveillance cameras of a nearby restaurant and later obtained by CBS News, shows part of the altercation between Floyd and the officers on the scene.

The second video can be seen below:

The video was later uploaded to Twitter by the account @sn00pdad, who wrote alongside it:

"Video shows what appears to be the start of the confrontation between #GeorgeFloyd and #Minneapolis #police officers. A restaurant's security footage shows cops taking him into custody, but the restaurant owner says it does not show Floyd resisting #Arrest"

CNN reported earlier in the week that four Minneapolis police officers - including Chauvin - had been fired in connection with the case.

Police spokesperson Officer Garrett Parten has since confirmed that the four officers involved in Floyd's arrest have been "separated from employment".

In a statement about police Chief Medaria Arradondo's decision to fire the officers, Mayor Jacob Frey said:

"I support your decisions, one hundred percent. It is the right decision for our city. The right decision for our community, it is the right decision for the Minneapolis Police Department."

In a press conference early on Tuesday, Frey offered his condolences to Floyd's family, adding that "what we saw [in the video] was horrible, completely and utterly messed up".

Watch Mayor Jacob Frey's emotional response below:
[[youtubewidget||https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EtziM5Yjc4]]

"For five minutes, we watched as a white officer pressed his knee to the neck of a black man," Frey told reporters.

"When you hear someone calling for help, you are supposed to help. This officer failed in the most basic human sense. What happened on Chicago and 38th this last night is simply awful. It was traumatic and it serves as a clear reminder of just how far we have to go."

"Being black in America," Frey said, should not be "a death sentence."