US on edge as Floyd jury decides verdict
MINNEAPOLIS: High-profile black rights activist Reverend Al Sharpton led an agitated crowd of supporters in prayer for George Floyd outside the courthouse where the jury began deliberating on Tuesday at the end of the murder trial of former cop Derek Chauvin.
Surrounded by Floyd’s family, including his six-yearold daughter Gianna, Reverend Sharpton said no matter what the verdict was, he would not rest until “the law changes and the (police) behaviour changes”.
It came as the US, and the world, held its breath ahead of the verdict, fearing an unprecedented outbreak of violent protests should Chauvin be found not guilty and be allowed to walk free.
In Minneapolis, where the trial is being held, workers fortified government buildings and prepared for possible unrest following the verdict.
Chauvin, a white former Minneapolis police officer, is accused of killing Floyd while detaining him last May.
Video shows him kneeling heavily on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes as Floyd begs him to stop.
He repeatedly says “I can’t breathe”, before crying for his mother and then dying.
Earlier in the court, Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill said in his final instructions to the 12-member jury: “You must be absolutely fair. Consider and weigh the evidence and apply the law.”
Chauvin, 45, is charged with murder in the second degree, murder in the third degree and manslaughter. The charges carry maximum jail terms of 40 years, 20 years and 10 years respectively. Authorities fear that even a guilty verdict of manslaughter will be enough to ignite waves of angry protests around the country.
In his instructions to the jury, the judge touched on the significance of the case, which comes amid heightened tensions fuelled by other recent police killings of black men by white officers.
“You must not let bias, prejudice, passion, sympathy or public opinion influence your decision,” Justice Cahill said. “You must not consider any consequences or penalties that might follow from your verdict.”
Prosecutors, in their closing arguments to the jury, which will be sequestered during deliberations, repeatedly showed the harrowing video of Floyd’s death.
“This case is exactly what you thought when you saw it first, when you saw that video,” prosecutor Steve Schleicher told the jury.
“You can believe your eyes,” he said. “This wasn’t policing – it was murder.”