Kara Sears
Following the tragic death of George Floyd, the public's attention and outrage were directed at the officers involved and their families. One of the officers, Derek Chauvin, faced particular scrutiny, with speculation arising about a possible connection between his wife, Kellie Chauvin, and another officer present at the scene, Tou Thao. Social media reports falsely claimed that Kellie Chauvin was Tou Thao's sister, spreading across platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Kellie's divorce lawyer, Amanda Mason-Sekula, vehemently denied these allegations, stating that Kellie does have a brother who is a police officer in St. Paul but is unrelated to Tou Thao. Despite the clarifications, Kellie and her family received threats due to these fake reports.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | Tou Thao |
| Relation to Derek Chauvin | Brother-in-law (rumoured) |
| Relation to Kellie Chauvin | Brother (rumoured) |
| Relation to George Floyd's death | Officer at the scene of the arrest |
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What You'll Learn
Derek Chauvin is married to Kellie Chauvin
Derek Chauvin, an American former police officer, was married to Kellie May Xiong Chauvin, a Hmong-American former radiologist and beauty pageant winner. Kellie was born in Laos in 1974 and moved to the United States as a child after her family fled to Thailand in 1977 due to the war.
Kellie and Derek Chauvin tied the knot in 2010 and remained married for over a decade. They first met when Derek brought in a suspect for a health evaluation at the medical centre where Kellie worked. Derek Chauvin was involved in the murder of George Floyd, a 46-year-old African American man, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on May 25, 2020. Following Derek Chauvin's arrest, Kellie filed for divorce just days later, citing an "irretrievable breakdown" in their marriage. The divorce was finalised in early 2021.
There were rumours that Kellie Chauvin was the sister of Tou Thao, another officer involved in George Floyd's death. However, these rumours were false, and Kellie's divorce lawyer confirmed that Tou Thao was not related to her. Kellie and Derek Chauvin were, however, charged with financial crimes related to tax evasion in 2020.
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Kellie Chauvin is of Hmong descent
Kellie Chauvin, formerly known as Kellie May Thao and Kellie May Xiong, is of Hmong descent. Born in Laos in 1974, her family fled to Thailand in 1977 due to the war and lived in a refugee camp. Her family belonged to the Hmong community, an ethnic group that faced significant challenges during the Vietnam War and the Laotian Civil War. They eventually resettled in the United States, specifically in Minnesota, which has a large Hmong population.
Kellie's parents arranged her first marriage when she was 17, and she was married before turning 18. Her husband, Kujay Xiong, was chosen by her traditional Hmong parents. This marriage lasted about a decade and ended due to allegations of domestic abuse. Kellie and Kujay had two children together.
In 2018, Kellie made headlines by becoming the first Hmong woman to win the Mrs. Minnesota pageant. She used this platform to advocate for cultural understanding and women's empowerment within the Hmong community. Kellie's participation in the pageant was about more than competition; it was an opportunity to represent her community positively and challenge stereotypes.
Kellie's association with the Hmong community has been a significant aspect of her life and public image. Despite facing scrutiny due to her marriage to Derek Chauvin, she has maintained her cultural pride and continues to be an example for the Hmong community.
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Kellie Chauvin is not related to Tou Thao
Kellie Chauvin, the wife of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, is not related to Tou Thao, another officer who was present at the scene of George Floyd's murder.
Kellie Chauvin was born in Laos in 1974, and her family fled to Thailand in 1977 following the war. She is of Hmong descent, an ethnic group native to Laos, Vietnam, and Southern China. Kellie does have a brother, who is a police officer in St. Paul, but it is not Tou Thao. Her divorce lawyer, Amanda Mason-Sekula, has confirmed that Tou Thao is not Kellie Chauvin's brother and that the family has been harassed and threatened due to this misinformation.
The false claim that Kellie Chauvin and Tou Thao are siblings gained traction on social media, with posts circulating on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Some of these posts included photos of Thao, Chauvin, and Kellie Chauvin together, seemingly implicating her in Floyd's death. However, there is no basis for these allegations, and they have been widely debunked.
Derek Chauvin, Kellie Chauvin's husband, was the Minneapolis police officer who used fatal force on George Floyd, as seen in a viral video. Tou Thao was also a Minneapolis police officer who was present at the scene of Floyd's death but did not face charges. There were no charges filed against either officer in relation to Floyd's death.
In conclusion, it is important to emphasise that Kellie Chauvin is not related to Tou Thao, and the false claims to the contrary have caused significant distress to her and her family.
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Tou Thao and Derek Chauvin were both officers in Minneapolis
Tou Thao and Derek Chauvin were both officers in the Minneapolis Police Department. They were involved in the fatal restraint of George Floyd, which resulted in their convictions and subsequent departure from the police force.
Derek Chauvin, the senior officer at the scene, knelt on George Floyd's neck for 9.5 minutes while the Black man pleaded for his life, saying, "I can't breathe." Chauvin was convicted of unintentional second-degree murder and willfully violating Floyd's constitutional rights. He received a sentence of more than 22 years in state court and 21 years in federal court.
Tou Thao, also an officer with the Minneapolis Police Department, played a different role in the incident. He held back concerned bystanders and prevented them from providing medical aid to Floyd. Thao was convicted of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter and failing to intervene to stop Chauvin and the other officers. He was sentenced to 4 years and 9 months in prison, with the judge emphasizing his indirect role but stating that, as an experienced senior officer, he was in the best position to save George Floyd.
There were rumors circulating on the internet and social media that Tou Thao and Derek Chauvin were related by marriage, specifically that Thao was the brother-in-law of Chauvin's wife, Kellie Chauvin. These rumors were fueled by the fact that Kellie Chauvin's maiden name was Thao and that she had a brother in the police force. However, these claims were refuted by sources close to the Chauvins, who stated that Kellie Chauvin and Tou Thao were not related and that the family had received harassment and threats due to the misinformation.
In summary, while Tou Thao and Derek Chauvin were both officers in Minneapolis and were both involved in the fatal restraint of George Floyd, they are not related by marriage. The incident involving George Floyd led to significant changes in Minneapolis and its police force, including a $27 million settlement with Floyd's estate and a reorganization of the police department to address "race-based policing."
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Tou Thao was sued in 2017 for alleged excessive force
Tou Thao, a Minneapolis police officer, was sued in 2017 for alleged excessive force. This was not the first time he had been accused of using excessive force during an arrest. In 2014, Thao and another officer stopped a man who was walking with his pregnant girlfriend. The man later sued, alleging that the officers "punched, kicked, and kneed" him, causing "broken teeth as well as other bruising and trauma". The lawsuit was settled out of court.
In the 2017 case, Lamar Ferguson claimed that Thao and another officer assaulted him three years earlier. In a court deposition, Thao admitted to punching Ferguson but claimed that he had "no choice" because Ferguson was resisting arrest. The case was also settled out of court, with the city of Minneapolis agreeing to pay Ferguson $25,000.
The fact that Thao had been accused of using excessive force on multiple occasions raised questions about the police department's handling of such incidents. Seth Levanthal, an attorney involved in the 2014 lawsuit, expressed concern that the 2017 incident "made no headlines at all". Despite facing multiple civilian complaints and internal reviews for excessive force, Thao faced no disciplinary action prior to the George Floyd incident.
Thao was one of the officers involved in the fatal arrest of George Floyd in 2020. Video footage showed Thao and two other officers restraining Floyd while Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for nine minutes as he pleaded for his life. All four officers were fired, and Chauvin was charged with murder. Protesters and activists demanded that Thao and the other officers involved in Floyd's death be charged as well.
There were also unsubstantiated claims on social media and other platforms that Thao was the brother-in-law of Derek Chauvin. These claims were based on the fact that Chauvin's wife, Kellie, has the same surname before marriage and is of Laotian descent, as is Thao. However, these claims were refuted by Kellie Chauvin's divorce lawyer, who stated that her client shared no relation to Tou Thao.
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Frequently asked questions
No, Derek Chauvin's wife Kellie is not related to Tou Thao. This was confirmed by her divorce lawyer, Amanda Mason-Sekula.
Kellie Chauvin was born in Laos in 1974 and has a brother who is a police officer in St. Paul. Tou Thao is also of Asian descent and was present at the scene of George Floyd's murder.
Derek Chauvin was fired from his job as a Minneapolis police officer after using fatal force on George Floyd.
