‘Justice for George is freedom for all’
THEY were told “you can believe your eyes” and after dozens of viewings of the video of Minneapolis policeman Derek Chauvin choking George Floyd to death, the jury delivered a swift and decisive verdict.
Chauvin, 45, could spend the rest of his life in prison after a jury took 10 hours to convict him of all three charges over the killing of Mr Floyd during an arrest last May. The sacked cop argued that the chokehold he used was police procedure in the circumstances but the anonymous jury of five men and seven women, six of them white, four black and two multiracial, didn’t even pause in their considerations to request additional access to exhibits or ask followup questions following three weeks of distressing evidence.
“Believe your eyes,” said prosecutor Steve Schleicher of the video of Mr Floyd’s death in his closing argument on Monday.
“Unreasonable force, pinning him to the ground — that’s what killed him. This was a homicide.”
Chauvin was found guilty of second degree intentional murder and the supporting charges of third degree murder and second degree murder.
He was cuffed and led from the Hennepin County District Court and will return in two weeks, when Judge Peter Cahill may find there were “aggravating factors” and deliver the maximum 40 years jail sentence.
Mr Floyd’s brother Philonise Floyd said: “I got messages from all over the world … saying: ‘We can’t breathe until you can breathe.’ Well, today we are able to breathe again. Justice for George means freedom for all.”
Some residents of Minneapolis, where 1500 buildings were torched by rioters last year and was returned to its “war zone footing” during the trial, expressed relief.
Law professor Joe Daly said the mood in the city had been “sad, angry, nervous, frightened” as people gathered ahead of the verdict.
“There’s a great sense of relief,” he said after the verdict. “There was genuine fear that this city could explode.”
Former President Barack Obama said in a statement that the “jury did the right thing”.
“But true justice requires much more. Michelle and I send our prayers to the Floyd family, and we stand with all those who are committed to guaranteeing every American the full measure of justice that George and so many others have been denied,” he said.