Former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin is expected to plead guilty to violating George Floyd's civil rights, as stated in a notice sent out Monday by the court's electronic filing system, NPR reports.
According to the federal docket entry, a hearing was set on Wednesday for Chauvin to change his current not guilty plea in the case and the court system also sent out instructions for members of the media to attend the hearing. Typically, these notices indicate a defendant is planning to plead guilty.
As EBONY previously reported, Chauvin was convicted of state murder and manslaughter charges for placing his knee against Floyd's neck during a May 25, 2020 arrest.
Footage captured by a bystander revealed that Chauvin kneeled on Floyd's neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds while he was handcuffed, lying in the street, gasping for air, telling Chauvin and other officers, "I can't breathe."
Floyd's death sparked protests across the country against racial injustice and police brutality.
In April 2021, Chauvin was sentenced to 22 1/2 years for the crime.
Chauvin along with three other former officers, Thomas Lane, J. Kueng, and Tou Thao were scheduled to go to trial in late January on federal charges alleging they intentionally violated Floyd's rights.
Additionally, Chauvin is charged in a second indictment that accuses him of using force and neck restraint on a teenage boy in 2017. As the indictment alleges, Chauvin deprived a Black 14-year-old boy of his right to be free of unreasonable force when he “held the teen by the throat, hit him in the head with a flashlight and held his knee on the boy's neck and upper back while he was prone, handcuffed and not resisting.” Information from the court did not imply that he would change his plea in that case.
The three other officers were also charged with aiding and abetting murder and manslaughter.
Their court date is scheduled for March.
