New details are emerging about the relationship between George Floyd and Derek Chauvin, the police officer who knelt on his neck for nine minutes — including claims that they not only knew each other, but came into direct conflict at a nightclub where they both provided security.
In an interview with CBS News, David Pinney, a coworker at the club, confirmed that Mr Floyd and Mr Chauvin knew each other, as security staff at the club regularly “interfaced” with police officers — and said the two men had “bumped heads”.
“It has a lot to do with Derek being extremely aggressive within the club with some of the patrons,” he said, “which was an issue.”
The club, El Nuevo Rodeo, was burned down in the violence that followed Mr Floyd’s death.
Before Mr Pinney’s interview, it was already known that Mr Floyd and Mr Chauvin had provided security at the club, whose owner, Maya Santamaria, had paid Mr Chauvin to sit outside in his squad car while off duty for some 17 years.
Ms Santamaria has said it is unlikely that the two men encountered each other frequently since Mr Floyd worked inside the club, though they both worked on Tuesday nights. She also told CBS that Mr Chauvin was “afraid and intimidated” by black people.
The new description of the two men’s relationship comes after Mr Chauvin saw his murder charge upgraded from the third to the second degree, though the Floyd family’s lawyer has argued that the fact the two men worked together and knew each other is reason to suspect intent on Mr Chauvin’s part — meaning a first-degree murder charge would be more appropriate.
Other reports have emerged that before his arrest, Mr Chauvin was in negotiations with prosecutors over a deal that would have seen him plead guilty on state murder charges and federal civil rights charges. The timeline and failure of those negotiations are still unclear.
