George Floyd murder suspect Derek Chauvin released on $1m bail
The former US police officer charged with the murder of unarmed black man George Floyd has been released from prison on bail. Derek Chauvin posted a $1m (£774,000) bond and was released on Wednesday morning, court records show, the BBC reported.
The white officer was filmed pressing his knee on Floyd's neck for almost eight minutes before he died on May 25. Floyd's death led to global protests and calls for police reform, spurred by the Black Lives Matter movement.
Chauvin was fired from his job and now awaits trial in March next year on charges of second-degree murder and manslaughter. Three other officers - J Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao - were also fired and charged with aiding and abetting murder.
All four officers accused in connection with the killing of Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, have now posted bail and are free until their trial next year.
Chauvin had been at the maximum-security prison in Oak Park Heights, Minnesota, since late May. In June, a judge set a bail of $1.25m with no preconditions, or $1m with conditions which include Chauvin not contacting Floyd's family, surrendering his firearms and not working in law enforcement or security as he awaits trial.
Chauvin was released on conditional bail, which court records showed was guaranteed by a bail-bond agency, CBS Minnesota reported. In the US, bail-bond agents promise to pay authorities the full bail amount for defendants if they cannot afford do so or fail to appear at court.
