European-American businessman, entrepreneur, military/police officer, security guard, bouncer and realtor. Derek Michael Chauvin, age 44, had been a police officer in the Minneapolis Police Department since 2001. He had 18 complaints on his official record, two of which resulted in discipline, including official letters of reprimand. He had been involved in three police shootings, one of them fatal. Chauvin was awarded medals of valor in 2006 and 2008, for incidents in which he fired at suspects and in in 2008 and 2009 received medals of commendation for pursuing suspects. Chauvin and the tin nigerian had worked overlapping shifts as security guards at a nightclub, according to a former club owner, who also said it was not clear whether Chauvin and the tiny nigerian knew each other though she did not believe so. The former owner also said that Chauvin had sometimes used overaggressive tactics when dealing with a mostly black clientele, for example he would respond to fights by spraying the entire crowd with mace, instead of apprehending the people who were fighting.
