The former US police officer accused of killing unarmed black man George Floyd has been released on bail.

Court records show that Derek Chauvin paid bail of $ 1 million (£ 774,000) and was released Wednesday morning.

The white officer was photographed pressing his knee to Mr. Floyd’s neck for approximately eight minutes before his death on May 25.

Floyd’s death led to global protests and calls for police reform, driven by the Black Lives Matter movement.

Mr. Chauvin was fired from his job and is now awaiting trial in March of next year on charges of premeditated murder and manslaughter. Three other officers – J. Alexander Kong, Thomas Lin and Tu Thao – were also fired and charged with aiding and abetting murder.

All four officers charged in connection with the killing of Mr. Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, have now been released on bail and are free until their trial next year.

Chauvin has been in a high-security prison in Oak Park Heights, Minnesota, since late May.

In June, a judge imposed bail of $ 1.25 million without preconditions, or $ 1 million under conditions that included Mr. Chauvin’s lack of contact with Floyd’s family, handing over his firearms and not working in law enforcement or security while awaiting trial.

Mr. Chauvin was released on conditional bail, which court records showed to be guaranteed by the Bail Bond Agency, CBS Minnesota reported.

In the United States, bail bond agents pledge to pay the authorities the full amount of bail for defendants if they cannot afford it or do not appear in court.

Mr. Chauvin was released from custody shortly before 11:30 local time (17:30 GMT) on Wednesday, according to the Hennepin County sheriff’s office.

Ben Crump, the civil rights attorney representing the Floyd family, said Chauvin’s release on bail was a “painful reminder” that “we are still far from getting justice for George.”

“Although George Floyd is denied justice in life, we will not rest until he has full justice in death,” said Crump.

Currently, the four accused officers are scheduled to face trial together in March, but the judge is considering trying them separately.

The incident leading to their trial has highlighted the deep wounds of racial inequality in the United States.

The Black Lives Matter demonstrations – some of which turned violent – became a central political issue in the run-up to the November presidential election in the United States.

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