*Now we know the wife of Derek Chauvin, the white (former) cop charged with killing George Floyd is NOT related to Tou Thao, the Asian (ex) officer on the scene the now-infamous arrest of Floyd.
There had been rampant online speculation that Kellie Chauvin was the sister of Thao, but according to an Associated Press report, that’s simply not the case.
“Tou Thao is NOT Ms. Chauvin’s brother. I would GREATLY appreciate help putting that rumor to rest,” Amanda Mason-Sekula, her divorce lawyer, said in an email. “Her family has been harassed and threatened based on multiple incorrect reports.”
The interesting reality is that Kellie Chauvin does have a brother and he’s a police officer, but it’s not Thao. Her brother is a cop in St. Paul, said Mason-Sekula. She also noted that her brother was not involved in any aspect of Floyd’s death.
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Here’s more via the AP:
Both Kellie Chauvin and Thao are Asian. Kellie Chauvin was born in Laos in 1974. Her family fled to Thailand in 1977 following the war.
Posts making the false claim spread across Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, with the rumor swirling in Minneapolis’ Hmong community. The widely shared posts included side-by-side photos of Thao, Chauvin and Kellie Chauvin. Derek Chauvin has been charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the death of the Floyd, which has lead to days of protests in the U.S. and violence. All four officers involved in the arrest were fired.
“Kellie Chauvin is the wife of Derek Chauvin, Tou Thao is Kellie Chauvin’s brother,” said one post on Instagram with more than 3,000 likes.
False information surrounding Floyd’s death has snowballed on social media amid protests calling for justice in the killing of Floyd who had recently moved to Minneapolis to start a new life for himself.
Charges have not been filed against Thao and the other officers at the scene. Thao was sued in federal court in 2017 for alleged excessive force, according to online records obtained by The Associated Press. According to the lawsuit, Lamar Ferguson claimed that in 2014 Thao and his partner stopped him and beat him up while he was on his way to his girlfriend’s house. The lawsuit was settled for $25,000.
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