The former police officer seen kneeling on George Floyd’s neck before he died had 18 prior complaints filed against him, as per reports.
CNN say that the complaints had been filed with the Minneapolis Police Department’s Internal Affairs, though it’s unclear what they were for.
Derek Chauvin was fired from his position as a police officer earlier this week, along with the three other MPD officers who stood idly by as Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck.
Footage of the ‘arrest’ shows Floyd pleading that he can’t breathe and begging for Chauvin to move. It has since sparked tremendous backlash on social media, as well as riots in Minneapolis.
As per CNN, just two of the 18 complaints against Chauvin were “closed with discipline.” In both cases, the “discipline issued” column showed that a letter of reprimand had been issued.
One of the other officers present during George Floyd’s arrest also had a history of complaints. Tou Thao, seen on the camera standing by as the life is choked from Floyd – who was handcuffed and on the ground – had six complaints lodged with internal affairs. One of them was still open.
Thao was also part of a $25,000 out-of-court settlement after being sued for excessive force back in 2017. As per a lawsuit obtained by MailOnline, Thao stood accused of kicking and punching a suspect after he was handcuffed and defenseless.
My heart continues to bleed for George Floyd and the family he has left behind. Such an utter disregard for human life is shocking to see in any group of people, let alone men supposed to be police officers.
Share this article to honor Floyd’s memory, and to let the world know this is not and never will be OK.
