Did former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin, who is accused in the death of George Floyd, commit suicide in a prison cell? No, that's not true: Chauvin was still alive as of this writing on May 31, 2020. An article published by a website registered in Kenya is based on fake quotes and is not true.
The claim originated in an article (archived here) where it was published by W24N.com on May 31, 2020, under the title "Minneapolis Police Officer who killed George Floyd, Derek Chauvin commits suicide in prison cell." It opened:
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Fired Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin committed suicide in his prison cell pending trial on third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter charges, the U.S media reported on Saturday.
On Sunday, John Harrington, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, announced that Chauvin committed suicide after his arrest in his Minnesota jail cell
Chauvin, 44, the Minneapolis police officer who pressed his knee into George Floyd's neck as he begged for air was arrested Friday and charged with murder was taken into custody by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, who said that Chauvin was arrested in Minneapolis.
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Minneapolis Police Officer who killed George Floyd, Derek Chauvin commits suicide in prison cell - World News Live
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Fired Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin committed suicide in his prison cell pending trial on third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter charges, the U.S media reported on Saturday. On Sunday, John Harrington, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, announced that Chauvin committed suicide after his arrest in his Minnesota jail cell Chauvin, 44, the Minneapolis police officer who pressed
The only website to report that Chauvin had killed himself in jail was registered from Mombasa, Kenya, on March 27, 2020. Since then, the website has published several hoax stories apparently intended to generate web traffic for advertising revenues, including a story claiming that former U.S. President Barack Obama tested positive for coronavirus. It was not true.
The false report attributes the report to Minneapolis TV station WCCO. However, that station's website does not offer the same report. In fact, no other news outlet is reporting a suicide.
The report quotes Minnesota Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington announcing Chauvin's death. There is no such news release on that agency's website.
Derek Chauvin, who is charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter in Floyd's death, is being held at the Ramsey County Jail in St. Paul. Documents show that his bail was set at $500,000.
Celebrity news website TMZ did report on May 30, 2020, that a source at the jail said that Chauvin was "effectively on suicide watch."
