Jurors believed their eyes: Derek Chauvin is a killer

“Believe your eyes,” prosecutors told jurors in the murder trial of George Floyd during closing arguments this week in Minnesota.

And so they did.

The jurors returned after 11 hours of deliberation Wednesday to find former police Officer Derek Chauvin guilty in the death of Floyd, who in May died with Chauvin’s knee at his neck in Minneapolis.

One guilty police officer does not mean the American justice system works.

It means, in this case, a just verdict was delivered. And that matters. The death of Floyd prompted a summer of unrest in the United States, as protesters took to the streets in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic to proclaim police violence against individuals — usually, people of color — must cease.

Too often, in the United States, any benefit of the doubt protects police officers, even ones who hurt or kill individuals in their custody. Officers are not indicted. If charged, juries find them not guilty or can’t come to agreement.

In court, the victim is put on trial rather than the accused. Floyd, the defense argued, was a drug user, a threat and his death resulted from his own choices, not Chauvin’s knee.

Most times when a police officer is on trial, those arguments will carry the day. The usual verdict — in those rare cases when an officer is indicted — is “not guilty.”

That’s why this case was about more than just George Floyd and Derek Chauvin, but the entire system of policing and justice in America. Just look at the facts.

As the Floyd trial was unfolding, Daunte Wright was shot and killed by police during a traffic stop some 10 miles away from the Minneapolis courtroom. In Chicago, Adam Toledo, 13, was shot to death in late March, his hands high above his head, the moment caught on video. The system is broken.

“Believe your eyes,” prosecutors said.

Bystanders watching George Floyd on the ground with Chauvin’s knee on his neck videotaped the moment. These witnesses couldn’t save Floyd, but they provided the record that emphatically showed Chauvin’s inhumanity and guilt. An expert witness testified Chauvin’s knee remained in place for 3 minutes and 27 seconds after Floyd had died. The jurors watched the video and heard the testimony. They were not swayed by defense claims that Floyd had health problems that caused his death, or that his drug use killed him.

Importantly, in this trial, other police officers testified — for the prosecution — without equivocation that Chauvin did not act as a reasonable officer. His actions on that day went too far.

Their testimony broke the wall of silence in which officers protect one another, and not just in Minnesota.

Here’s some of the testimony that convicted Chauvin, according to the Washington Post:

◆ “Pulling him down to the ground, face down and putting your knee on the neck for that amount of time is just uncalled for,” the department’s longest-serving officer testified.

◆ “That’s not what we train,” said an inspector who used to lead the department’s training.

◆ “Not part of our training and is certainly not part of our ethics or values,” the Minneapolis police chief said.

Chauvin was found guilty on three separate counts — second-degree, unintentional murder; third-degree murder; and second-degree manslaughter. He faces potential sentences of 40 years in prison for second-degree unintentional murder, 25 years for third-degree murder and 10 years for second-degree manslaughter.

After the verdicts were read, Chauvin was handcuffed and taken from the courtroom to await sentencing. He is being held accountable. The jurors believed their eyes, and for that, a nation is grateful.

But the verdict does not end the problem; not for police, not for the public. The real test is yet to come — keeping our eyes open.