A judge has given former Derek Chauvin permission to leave Minnesota due to “safety concerns” as he awaits a murder trial in the death of George Floyd.
A Hennepin County judge ruled on Friday that Department of Corrections provided evidence to support claims that his “safety concerns” needed to be addressed, NBC News reports. As such, the former Minneapolis police officer will be allowed to leave the state and live in a bordering state such as North and South Dakota, Iowa, and Wisconsin.
Read More: ‘Cops’ resumes production after cancellation due to death of George Floyd
Law enforcement must be informed of the new address for Chauvin, 44. He also has to answer all calls from the Minnesota Dept. of Corrections and keep a cell phone on him at all times in addition to abiding by all the supervisions of his release.
As theGrio reported, Chauvin was given a conditional pretrial release earlier in the week. Chauvin was released just after 11 a.m. on Wednesday from the Hennepin County. Under Minnesota law, Chauvin only had to pay 10% of his required bail which was up to up to $100,000.
Under the conditions of his revised release from custody, Chauvin must “must establish residency somewhere in the State of Minnesota or a contiguous state as soon as possible.”
Read More: Minneapolis street to be named for George Floyd
Chauvin had been in custody since May after he was charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter in George Floyd’s May 25 death. Bystander video which quick went viral saw Chauvin placing a knee on Floyd’s neck for more than eight minutes despite the pleas of Floyd.
“Please, please, please, I can’t breathe,” Floyd begged in one video. “My stomach hurts. My neck hurts. Please, please. I can’t breathe.”
Thomas Lane, J. Kueng, and Tou Thao are charged with aiding and abetting both second-degree murder and manslaughter. All four officers were fired.
Floyd’s death led to nationwide and global protests over the role of policing in society and race relations.
Chauvin’s next court appearance is slated for March 2021 per the notice of release which was filed in court.
Have you subscribed to theGrio’s podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!
TheGrio is now on Apple TV, Amazon Fire, and Roku. Download theGrio today!
