Bail set for former police officer in George Floyd case at $1-$1.25mn

Bail for the white former Minneapolis police officer charged with murdering African American George Floyd, whose death ignited two weeks of protests, has been raised by $250,000 to $1.25 million, the Minnesota-based Star Tribune said on Monday.

The new bail terms were decided at a court hearing for Derek Chauvin, charged with second-degree murder in Floyd's May 25 death in Minneapolis by kneeling on his neck for nearly nine minutes.

Minnesota Assistant Attorney General Matthew Frank argued that the "severity of the charges" as well as the strength of public opinion made it more likely that Chauvin would flee if set free, the Star Tribune reported.

Chauvin's attorney did not object to the bail conditions, raised to $1.25 million from $1 million without conditions, and to $1 million from $750,000 with conditions, the newspaper said.