Derek Chauvin, serving sentence for George Floyd murder, moved to federal prison

The move was part of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin's plea deal in a federal civil rights case

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was moved from a state prison in Minnesota to a federal facility in Arizona.

U.S. Marshals picked up Chauvin Wednesday morning from the prison in Oak Park Height, Minn., where he had been serving a 22.5-year sentence for George Floyd's murder, to take him to FCI Tuscon, a medium security federal prison. 

The Minnesota Department of Corrections confirmed details of the pickup to local Fox 9, and federal prison records show that Chauvin is currently in custody at the federal facility.

The move was part of Chauvin's plea deal in his federal civil rights case. His sentence in that case, 21 years, is being served concurrently with the state sentence. Chauvin's mother and attorneys requested the move so that he could be closer to family.

JUDGE ACCEPTS  DEREK CHAUVIN PLEA DEAL IN GEORGE FLOYD FEDERAL CIVIL RIGHTS CASE

Derek Chauvin. (Source: Minnesota Department of Corrections)

The plea agreement included Chauvin admitting to keeping his knee on Floyd's neck, pinning him to the ground, even after Floyd was unresponsive. Prior to the deal, he faced a life sentence.

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Chauvin was one of several officers involved in the on May 25, 2020 incident. Three other former Minneapolis police officers — Tou Thao, J. Alexander Keung and Thomas Lane — were convicted in February of federal civil rights charges in Floyd's killing.

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Floyd's death sparked a movement that included protests that varied from peaceful to destructive, and accusations that police in the U.S. are systemically racist. The response often featured calls for police departments to be defunded or abolished altogether.

Fox News' Louis Casiano and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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