A viral claim stating that former Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin, who was blamed for the death of black man George Floyd, was killed in the prison by fellow inmates, is found to be fake. It was Floyd's death that sparked the country-wide Black Lives Matter protests earlier this year.
White police officer Chauvin, faced charges in connection with the death, pressed his knee against Floyd's neck for nearly eight minutes despite the 46-year-old's pleas that he could not breathe. The incident sparked nationwide protests against the police atrocities on African-Americans and racism prevalent in the U.S.
Chauvin Left Part of His Estate for Trump's Re-election Campaign
The fake rumors regarding Chauvin's death started after Conservative Tears, a satire and parody website, published an article headlined 'Police Officer Who Murdered George Floyd Killed in Prison.'
The website claimed that Chauvin, who was in the jail since May 2020, was apparently killed by fellow inmates. To make their article appear even more authentic, the outlet included the statement issued from Prison warden Sandy Batt announcing Chauvin's death.
"I won't say this murderer's name. He's dead, and even though many of my guards had heard rumors that he was going to be offed, we all agreed that if anyone had it coming, this guy had it coming. Good riddance to racist trash," Batt was quoted by the outlet.
The state's Commissioner of Prisons and Incarceration Dungeons, Joe Barron, was also quoted by the outlet, stating: "It's a damn shame this poor, persecuted law enforcement officer was killed by his fellow inmates. Their decision to kneel on his neck for 8 1/2 minutes was quite unfortunate. It's almost like kneeling on someone's neck — regardless of the reason — is always a bad thing to do,"
The satirical website even claimed that Chauvin left half of his estate, comprising of $34, to the re-election campaign for impeached President Donald J. Trump.
Is Chauvin Really Dead?
Claiming that the reports of Chauvin being murdered by his fellow inmates is fake USA Today said the former cop was very much alive. Speaking to the outlet, Chauvin's lawyer said that he was 'alive and well.' Chauvin, who was released on bail in October 2020, is currently awaiting trial.
Despite the rumors being hoax, the same was widely circulated on social media. Sharing the article, a Facebook user, West Virginia Boys, wrote, "Well well well he didn't last long."
"Just saw a report that Derek Chauvin got murked in prison," tweeted a user.
"Derek Chauvin, the Minneapolis police officer who murdered George Floyd, has been found dead in the jail. Do y'all believe it?" wrote another.
