Derek Chauvin is a former Minneapolis police officer who was convicted of murdering George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, on May 25, 2020. During an arrest over an alleged counterfeit $20 bill, Chauvin knelt on Floyd's neck for roughly nine minutes while Floyd was handcuffed and pleading "I can't breathe," an act that sparked massive protests across the U.S. and the world in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. In 2021, Chauvin was found guilty of unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter, receiving a 22.5-year prison sentence, and subsequent appeals to higher courts were denied. His lengthy police career was marked by over 18 misconduct complaints, several prior shootings (two fatal), and multiple commendations for valor, painting a complex portrait of his service. Ultimately, his conviction stands as a landmark moment for police accountability, demonstrating that even uniformed officers can be held responsible for the use of excessive deadly force.