I agree that he will likely get a lesser charge.

I just fear that no matter the outcome it will reignite additional protests and more violence from those that will ignore the evidence of why Chauvin wasn't found guilty of murder and how actions Floyd took also contributed to his own death.

I'm sure jurors will hear the 911 call where the cashier called the cops about the counterfeit money and how he believed Floyd was intoxicated. I'm sure they'll see the toxicology reports.

The only thing the MSM has shown the public is the photos or short videos of Chauvin with his knee on Floyd's neck. But not the video of Floyd freaking out when being arrested and requesting to lay down on the pavement.

Someone as high as he was should never be placed face down on the ground. People should be put into the recovery position on their sides, and I think more places are taking that into consideration now.

BUT, that doesn't mean what Chauvin did was against policy... though a knee to the back between shoulder blades would have likely caused the same outcome for Floyd. "Sudden In Custody Death Syndrome" is a real thing and some LEO do rapid assessments on suspects to gauge the level of risk they are. Factors such as age, weight, gender, drug use or intoxication, if force was used or not, etc all contribute to a point scale where the risk of death from being taken into custody becomes a greater concern. Same training will show that a restrained suspect on the ground should be in a recovery position on their side. If you take a 300lb man fucked up on pills, who resisted arrest and failed to comply, and you lay that man face down on the ground his risk of just dying while just laying there is much higher than a fit man, who complied, and is calm. That is the purpose of the whole point system scale to determine risk of death in custody.

Also, if Chauvin goes to prison he should be in Protective Custody. He'd be the target of every black prison gang, either new recruit initiation or just killed just because he's high profile ex law enforcement. Where I am, any ex law enforcement goes to PC, same with child molestors. They're the first targets in gang initiations inside prison and if put in general population are considered good targets for gang probates to prove they're willing to draw blood for their gang by attacking someone that no other gang gives a shit about.