George Floyd and Derek Chauvin “Bumped Heads” While Working at Nightclub, Says Ex-Coworker

(TMU) – As mourners laid the body of George Floyd to rest, a former coworker of both Floyd and his killer, now-former Officer Derek Chauvin, has revealed that not only did the two know each other – but they also clashed with one another while working the same shifts at the club.

In a bizarre twist of the ongoing that hints at the potential motivation behind the killing of Floyd, it has been reported that both he and his eventual killer, Derek Chauvin, both worked the same security shift at El Nuevo Rodeo club in south Minneapolis, Minnesota.

But in a shocking development to a story that has become a global example of police impunity in the United States, coworker David Pinney told CBS News that the two didn’t simply know each other – but they also had serious friction between each other.

“They bumped heads,” Pinney told the news station.

“It has a lot to do with Derek being extremely aggressive within the club with some of the patrons, which was an issue,” Pinney continued.

If found guilty of intentional second-degree murder, Chauvin could face up to 25 and a half years in prison, while an unintentional second-degree murder conviction would call for 12 and a half years in prison.

Chauvin was arrested and originally charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter following the uproar resulting from the release of videotaped footage of the killing, but the charges were later upgraded by state Attorney General Keith Ellison.

However, the family of George Floyd has been convinced that the killing was driven at least in part by personal motives. Family attorney Benjamin Crump has also demanded that Chauvin be charged with first-degree murder, “because we believe he knew who George Floyd was.”

Pinney agrees that Chauvin knew his eventual victim, saying: “No. He knew him … I would say pretty well.”

Additionally, club owner Maya Santamaria contends that Chauvin displayed a frightful attitude toward Black patrons of the club where he and Floyd worked.

When asked if Chauvin had a “problem with Black people,” Santamaria commented that she believes “he was afraid and intimidated.”

In the past, Santamaria has commented that Chauvin had a tendency to become unnecessarily aggressive during nights when the club had a primarily Black clientele, especially in terms of by dousing crowds with pepper spray and resorting to calling police as backup in a move she described as “overkill.”

In video footage from May 25 that has been seen tens of millions of times over the past two weeks, Chauvin can be seen choking Floyd with his knee during an arrest attempt that ultimately led to his death.

The white now-former officer held his knee down on the 46-year-old unarmed Black man’s neck for a total of 8 minutes and 46 seconds in total, and two minutes and 53 seconds after Floyd lost consciousness, according to a criminal complaint. Three officers also took part in the deadly events.

The three other former officers who have been charged with aiding and abetting Chauvin during the second-degree killing of Floyd are J Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane, and Tou Thao.