Ex-officer Chauvin found guilty on three charges of killing Floyd
A US grand jury has found former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin guilty on all three charges he faced over the custodial death of African-American George Floyd last year, a chilling incident that sparked worldwide protests against racism and excessive use of force by police.
The 12 jurors found Chauvin, 45, guilty of unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in one of the most closely watched cases in recent memory in the US.
Chauvin was filmed kneeling on Floyd’s neck during his arrest on May 25 after a convenience store clerk in Minneapolis alleged that Floyd tried to pass a counterfeit $20 bill. Chauvin pinned down Floyd, 46, with his knee on the pavement of a south Minneapolis intersection for more than nine minutes. “I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe,” were his last words.
Chauvin pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. He faces up to 40 years in prison, according to US media reports. With only his eyes visible as the rest of his face was hidden behind a surgical mask, Chauvin watched as the verdict was announced. A deputy handcuffed Chauvin and escorted him to a side room. He was later transferred to the Minnesota Correctional Facility. Judge Peter Cahill said sentencing is expected in eight weeks. The City of Minneapolis last month settled a wrongful death lawsuit with Floyd’s family for $ 27 million. The verdict prompted celebratory scenes outside the court and in Floyd’s home town, where several hundred people cheered as it was announced. The Floyd family’s lawyer, Ben Crump and George Floyd’s family released a statement following the conviction of Chauvin, saying the verdict goes far beyond this city and has significant implications for the country and even the world. “Painfully earned justice has arrived for George Floyd’s family and the community here in Minneapolis, but today’s verdict goes far beyond this city and has significant implications for the country and even the world...,” the statement read.
The Justice Department is also opening a sweeping investigation into policing practices in Minneapolis, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced on Wednesday. The Justice Department is already investigating whether Chauvin and the other officers involved in Floyd’s death violated his civil rights.
WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden called systemic racism a “stain on our nation’s soul” in a televised address to the nation Tuesday after a white former police officer was convicted of murdering a Black man during an arrest.
“It’s not enough,” Biden said of the verdict. “We can’t stop here.” Biden said he hoped the verdict would give momentum to congressional police reform efforts.Floyd family attorney Ben Crump posted video on Twitter of a phone call from Biden and Harris to the family. Asked by a family member how he was doing, Biden said, “Feeling better now. Nothing is going to make it all better, but at least now there is some justice.”
“This is a day of justice,” Harris told the family after joining Biden to watch the verdict in the private dining room off the Oval Office.
Speaking hours ahead of the verdict, while the jury was deliberating in
Minneapolis, Biden said he called Floyd’s family on Monday to offer prayers and could “only imagine the pressure and anxiety they’re feeling.” The president was expected to address the outcome of the trial Tuesday evening.
“They’re a good family and they’re calling for peace and tranquility no matter what that verdict is,” Biden said a few hours before the verdicts were announced. “I’m praying the verdict is the right verdict. I think it’s overwhelming, in my view. I wouldn’t say that unless the jury was sequestered now.”
True justice is about much more than a single verdict: Obama
Hour after Derek Chauvin was found guilty on all charges in the murder trial of African-American George Floyd, former US President Barack Obama issued a statement on Twitter, “For almost a year, George Floyd’s death under the knee of a police officer has reverberated around the world inspiring murals and marches, sparking conversations in living rooms and new legislation. But a more basic question has always remained: would justice be done?”