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Minneapolis reached a $9 million settlement with two victims of Derek Chauvin, who kneeled on their necks while handcuffed.
The city of Minneapolis reached a settlement Thursday with two Black victims of Derek Chauvin who said the former officer pressed his knee into their necks while handcuffed years before he did the same thing to George Floyd, killing him.
John Pope will be paid $7.5 million and Zoya Code $1.4 million.
“He should have been fired in 2017. He should have been held accountable in 2017,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said at a news conference Thursday.
The city of Minneapolis has paid out more than $35 million in settlements for the misconduct of Derek Chauvin.
In 2021, Minneapolis settled with the family of George Floyd for $27 million.
Derek Chauvin Has History of Kneeling on Victim’s Necks
Both lawsuits from Pope and Code stem from arrests made by Chauvin in 2017, three years before the murder of George Floyd.
In bodycam footage released by the victim’s lawyers, Pope can be heard crying while lying on his stomach, hands cuffed behind his back, and Chauvin’s knee on his neck.
(The Black Wall Street Times has chosen not to link the footage and retraumatize viewers of Chauvin’s disgusting actions)
“My neck really hurts,” Pope repeated.
Pope was 14-years-old when Chauvin pinned him down with his knee for 17 minutes according to KARE Investigates.
“I am appalled at the repetitive behavior of this coward and disgusted by the inaction and acceptance of that behavior by members of this department. Such conduct is a disgrace to the badge and an embarrassment to what is truly a very noble profession,” Police Chief Brian O’Hara said at the news conference.
O’Hara became Minneapolis’ Police Chief in November of 2022 in a unanimous vote by the City Council. Before that, he worked for 21 years as a Newark police officer before retiring in 2022.
Chauvin was sentenced to 22 ½ years in state court for the murder of George Floyd in 2021. While already serving time, he was also sentenced to 21 years on federal civil rights charges.