SEATTLE — Derek Chauvin, the Minneapolis police officer arrested in the death of George Floyd, opened fire on two people during his 19-year career. Eighteen conduct complaints were filed against him, two of which resulted in reprimands.
The 44-year-old officer, who is white, is seen in a video kneeling on the neck of Floyd, a 46-year-old black man who later died. Chauvin was charged Friday with third-degree murder and manslaughter as violent protests raged across the country.
Police records and news accounts show that Chauvin had been involved in shootings and deaths, but also received a police department medal of valor in 2008, and was recognized again two years later. He has not spoken publicly since Floyd’s death, and his attorney, Tom Kelly, did not return a call on Friday seeking comment.
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Demonstrators vandalize a car as they protest the death of George Floyd on Sunday near the White House in Washington, D.C. Floyd, a black man, died after being restrained by a white Minneapolis police officer. (Evan Vucci/ Associated Press)
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Police form a line on H Street as demonstrators gather to protest the death of George Floyd on Sunday near the White House in Washington. (Alex Brandon / Associated Press )
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Police wait in the driveway to the entrance of the Hay-Adams Hotel as demonstrators protest the death of George Floyd on Sunday. (Alex Brandon/Associated Press )
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A group of men defy a curfew in Minneapolis on Sunday to pay their respects at the makeshift memorial and mural outside Cup Foods where George Floyd died. (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
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A woman defies curfew in Minneapolis on Sunday to pay her respects at the makeshift memorial and mural outside Cup Foods where George Floyd died. (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
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Police advance to engage protesters Saturday after a day of mostly peaceful protest in Minneapolis over the death of George Floyd. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
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Demonstrators stand on the steps of the Minnesota State Capitol as thousands of protesters gather Sunday to demand justice for George Floyd as the Minnesota National Guard secure the perimeter of the Capitol building on Sunday in Minneapolis. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
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Jennifer Hauge joins in a protest rally at the 5th Precinct police station in Minneapolis on Saturday. “It’s important to come out and make sure our black brothers and sisters know their lives matter, and that George [Floyd]’s life mattered,” said Hauge. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times)
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Jorge Fernandez, right, is comforted by a friend at a rally where George Floyd died early this week. “Everyone wants peace,” Fernandez said. “None of this can bring peace. It’s heartbreaking.” (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times)
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Protesters in Minneapolis. (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
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Protesters use milk to help a woman affected by tear gas fired by police near the 5th Precinct in Minneapolis. (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
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One woman expresses her desire for peace and love. Despite a curfew, protests and looting went all throughout the night in various parts of the city of Minneapolis. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times)
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Protesters hold fists in the air in front of a burning car lot on Friday night in Minneapolis. (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
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Protesters loot a gas station on the corner of Lake street and Park Avenue in Minneapolis. (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
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Despite a curfew, protests and looting went on throughout Friday night in various parts of the city of Minneapolis. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times)
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A protester rides a motorized cart on Friday night through the streets of Minneapolis. (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
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The National Guard blocks the road as protesters gather on the corner of Lake Street and Park Avenue Friday night in Minneapolis. (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
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The National Guard blocks the road as protesters gather on the corner of Lake Street and Park Avenue Friday night in Minneapolis. (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
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The National Guard blocks the road as protesters gather on the corner of Lake Street and Park Avenue in Minneapolis. (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
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Demonstrators on the streets of Minneapolis on Friday. (John Minchillo / Associated Press)
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People run as tear gas canisters land near them. (Scott Olson / Getty Images)
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People attempt to extinguish cars on fire in Minneapolis. (John Minchillo / Associated Press)
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An Atlanta Police Department vehicle burns in a protest Friday. (Mike Stewart / Associated Press)
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Demonstrators in Minneapolis on Friday night. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times)
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A burning police car in Atlanta. (Elijah Nouvelage / Getty Images)
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Looting in Minneapolis. (Scott Olson / Getty Images)
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A protester yells at a member of the Minnesota National Guard. (John Minchillo / Associated Press)
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Protesters demonstrate outside a burning Minneapolis 3rd Police Precinct on Thursday. (John Minchillo / Associated Press)
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Protesters demonstrate outside a burning Minneapolis 3rd Police Precinct in Minneapolis over the death of George Floyd, a black man who died in police custody. (John Minchillo / Associated Press)
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Protesters in Minneapolis demonstrate outside a fast food restaurant that’s in flames. (John Minchillo/Associated Press)
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Protesters enter a smoke-filled part of Minneapolis’ 3rd Police Precinct. (John Minchillo/Associated Press)
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Protesters linked in arms demonstrate outside a burning Minneapolis 3rd Police Precinct. (John Minchillo/Associated Press)
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Protesters stand outside the Minneapolis 3rd Precinct station. (Molly Hennessy-Fiske / Los Angeles Times)
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Protesters demonstrate outside the Minneapolis 3rd Police Precinct, which is in flames. (John Minchillo/Associated Press)
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A protester douses her face with milk after being exposed to tear gas fired by police in St. Paul. (John Minchillo/Associated Press)
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A protester faces off with two police officers using less-lethal ammunition in their weapons in St. Paul. (John Minchillo/Associated Press)
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A person takes items from a liquor store in Minneapolis. (John Minchillo/Associated Press)
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A man breaks a window at a tire store in St. Paul. (John Minchillo/Associated Press)
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Bystanders watch as police walk down a street in St. Paul. (John Minchillo/Associated Press)
In 2005, two people died when their car was hit by a vehicle being chased by Chauvin and Officer Terry Nutter, according to a report by Communities United Against Police Brutality, a Minneapolis nonprofit that monitors police conduct. Another person who had been riding in the car died a few days later, the report said.
The next year, Chauvin was among six officers who opened fire on Wayne Reyes, a stabbing suspect, after a chase that ended when he pointed a sawed-off shotgun at them, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported. Reyes was hit multiple times and died. A grand jury decided the use of force was justified.
Also in 2006, a prison inmate filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the Minneapolis Police Department and officers including Chauvin. Court records do not show specifics of the case, which was dismissed after the plaintiff failed to pay a filing fee.
Chauvin responded to a report of domestic abuse at a couple’s home, forced his way into a bathroom where Ira Latrell Toles was hiding, and when Toles reached for his gun, shot him twice in the stomach, the Pioneer Press reported at the time. Toles survived and was accused of felony obstruction.
Toles, 33, told the Daily Beast this week that Chauvin broke down the bathroom door and began hitting him. He said he fought back in self-defense. Toles said he ultimately pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge, and still feels pain from the wounds.
Chauvin was put on paid administrative leave pending an investigation, and ultimately returned to duty. “I knew he would do something again,” Toles told the Daily Beast.
In 2011, Chauvin was placed on leave again with other officers after they chased Leroy Martinez, a Native American man seen running with a pistol. Nutter, the officer involved in the fatal 2005 car chase, shot Martinez, who survived, the Pioneer Press reported.
A list of complaints filed against Chauvin during his career is posted in a database on the police department website, which includes no details of accusations. Anyone can file a complaint against an officer, whether or not it’s valid.
Tou Thao, an officer seen in Monday’s cellphone video standing guard as Chauvin pinned Floyd to the ground with his knee, has six complaints listed on the department’s site. Each was closed with no disciplinary action, except one that remains open.
Thao, Officer Robert Thunder and the city of Minneapolis were sued in federal court in 2017 for alleged use of excessive force. Lamar Ferguson claimed that the officers stopped him in 2014 and beat him up. In a deposition, Thao said he punched Ferguson after one hand slipped out of his handcuffs.
“At this point he’s actually resisting arrest,” Thao said in the deposition. “So I had no choice but to punch him.”
The case settled out of court for $25,000, according to Seth Leventhal, one of Ferguson’s attorneys.
