Chauvin did not have his hand in his pocket during Floyd’s arrest

Chauvin did not have his hand in his pocket during Floyd’s arrest

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The claim: Derek Chauvin’s hand was in his pocket while pinning George Floyd to the ground

While testimony in Derek Chauvin’s trial continues, viral reports have surfaced on social media claiming the former Minneapolis police officer was in his pocket while pinning George Floyd to the ground.

The description paints a particularly careless picture, which would be a frightening contrast to the tragic outcome of the incident.

Chauvin is facing charges of murder and manslaughter for the death of Floyd, an unarmed 46-year-old Black man who died on May 25, 2020 when Chauvin knelt on his neck for more than nine minutes.

“If George Floyd had resisted, Chauvin’s hands would not have been in his pockets,” reads a April 6 Facebook post with more than 700 shares and 50 comments.

In similar versions of the claim, Instagram pages shared the same text, accompanied by a picture that Chauvin allegedly shows with his left hand in his pockets, which is bright yellow. USA TODAY targeted social media users for comment.

In the comments, some users questioned the truth of the claim, saying Chauvin was wearing gloves.

It seems that they rightly doubt this assertion.

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Take a closer look at the footage and video material

It turns out that the story in the bag grew out of screenshots from a witness’ video of the incident, and it spread widely. Some news accounts that Chauvin describes with his hand in his pocket, in addition to the social media posts. And one witness during his trial, Genevieve Hansen, even said, “In my memory, he had his hand in his pocket.”

But the narrative is wrong.

While a quick glance at the image gives the impression that Chauvin’s left hand was in his pocket, the image and an overview of the footage showed up close that Chauvin was wearing dark-colored gloves paired with his black uniform pants.

The image used to address the claim is a recording from a video of Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck and captured by Darnella Frazier, a teenager who witnessed the incident.

Stationary frames make it look like Chauvin’s left hand is in his pocket, but the full video shows him wearing a black glove. By the time of 2:15, 2:31 and 3:30 of Frazier’s video, Chauvin is seen moving his left hand away from his leg and resting against the vehicle. From point 5:55 until the paramedics arrive, Chauvin’s left hand is near his hip, holding his service belt.

At no point does the video show his left hand in his pocket.

The stationary frames up close reveal the same thing.

Using image editing software, USA TODAY adjusted the exposure, brightness and vibrancy of the original still image to highlight the dark gloves against the black pants. The illuminated image shows Chauvin’s fingers bent backwards against his thigh.

An additional New York Daily News screen from Chauvin in another corner shows a clearer image of his black glove left hand on his leg, not in his pocket.

Chauvin’s right hand is not as visible in the video, but if it appears at the beginning, it is seen on Floyd or on the vehicle. And the part of his right arm that is visible at other times does not match a hand in his pocket.

Former Minneapolis police officer Tou Thao is also seen in the video wearing black gloves.

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Our rating: false

The allegation that former officer Derek Chauvin had his hand in his pocket while kneeling on George Floyd is FALSE, based on our research. A review of the full video of the incident, along with an illuminated version of the photo used in the claim, shows that Chauvin was wearing a black glove on his left hand that was paired with his dark pants. The hand rested on his leg and hip at various points.

Our sources for fact checking:

  • Darnella Frazier, May 25, 2020, Facebook Video
  • USA TODAY, March 30, “Darnella Frazier, the teenager who videotaped George Floyd’s death, says it changed her life”
  • New York Daily News, May 26, 2020, ” I can not breathe ‘: Black suspect dies after Minneapolis police filmed him with a knee to his neck for five minutes. “
  • Storytelling, May 25, 2020, Screengrab by Darnella Frazier Video
  • USA TODAY, April 5, “Week 2 begins in Derek Chauvin trial: police chief testifies that George Floyd’s restriction ‘absolutely’ violated ‘policy’
  • Reuters, March 29, Witnesses over deadly arrest of George Floyd tell jury of their shock, horror
  • CNN DESCRIPTIONS, March 30, Defending Cross-examination Firefighter at the Scene of George Floyd’s Death
  • USA TODAY, March 30, Updates from Day 2 of the Derek Chauvin trial: 9-year-old teenager who recorded video of George Floyd’s death among witnesses

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Our fact-checking work is supported in part by an award from Facebook.

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