THE white cop who was filmed kneeling on George Floyd’s neck for eight minutes was reportedly involved in a fatal shooting in 2006.
Floyd, 46, lost consciousness and later died after being arrested by Derek Chauvin, which was carried out for allegedly trying to use forged documents at a local deli.
Chauvin, 44, has been with the force for 19 years and has been involved in numerous police-involved shootings, The Star Tribune reported.
In 2006, the veteran and five other officers responded to a stabbing in Minneapolis.
According to the outlet, after Wayne Reyes, 42, pulled out a shotgun on the officers, one cop fatally shot the man.
Just two years later, in 2008, Chauvin allegedly shot and wounded Ira Latrell Toles during a domestic assault call.
According to the outlet, Toles grabbed for an officer’s gun and Chauvin shot him in the abdomen.
What we know about the story so far:
– Footage emerged showing cops drag Floyd from his car
– Floyd’s family said the cops “deserve life” for the loss of George
– Protests have broke out in Minneapolis
– Four cops have been fired following the release of the video
Tou Thao, the second officer to be identified in the video which was taken moments before George Floyd’s death, has previously been sued for his actions while serving as a police officer.
According to a deposition he gave in a 2017 lawsuit, Thao was sued by Lamar Ferguson for excessive use of force, the Tribune reported.
Ferguson and a woman who was eight months pregnant were walking home when Thao and another officer stopped and searched them without cause, it was claimed in the lawsuit.
The outlet reported that, according to the complaint filed in the case, the officers handcuffed Ferguson and Thao threw him to the ground and began punching him.
The complaint said that officers then took Ferguson to hospital for medical treatments before escorting him to jail wearing only his underwear and t-shirt.
In a deposition, Thao said they arrested Ferguson due to an outstanding arrest warrant and he only punched him after one of Ferguson’s hands slipped out of handcuffs, the outlet reported.
“He tries to pull away,” Thao said in the deposition.
“And he puts his hands on me and tries to give me a stiff arm in a way to try to get me off of him. After — at this point he’s actively resisting arrest. He — so I had no choice but to punch him.
“I punched him in the face. It causes him to pause a bit which gives Officer Thunder the time to come around and help.”
The case settled out of court for $25,000, according to one of Ferguson’s attorneys.
What happened to George Floyd?
On May 25, George Floyd was involved in an incident with the Minneapolis Police Department.
That day officers responded to a call from a grocery store that claimed Mr Floyd had used a forged cheque.
After he was located in his car by police they said he “physically resisted officers” while possibly under the influence of either drugs or alcohol.
Footage of the incident posted to social media, shows Mr Floyd groaning and saying repeatedly “I can’t breathe” to the police officer kneeling on his neck.
The officer had his other knee on Mr Floyd’s back, near where his hands were handcuffed.
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In the footage, Mr Floyd can also be heard saying “Don’t kill me!” before he becomes motionless with his eyes closed.
The video was even seen by the Floyd family, who said they were watching it before realising it was their cousin.
An investigation has been launched by the FBI and authorities in Minnesota.