A United States jury on Tuesday found former police officer Derek Chauvin guilty of the murder of African-American man George Floyd , the A...
A United States jury on Tuesday found former police officer Derek Chauvin guilty of the murder of African-American man George Floyd, the AP reported. His sentencing will take place in eight weeks, according to CNN.
Chauvin was found guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter. He could face up to 40 years in prison for the first charge, 25 for the second and 10 for the third.
Ben Crump, Floyd’s family’s lawyer, said the verdict was a turning point in history and “sends a clear message on the need for accountability of law enforcement”.
US President Joe Biden described Floyd’s death as “a murder in full light of day” and said it “ripped the blinders off for the whole world” to see racism, according to the AP.
During Chauvin’s trial, that began in March, medical experts had said that he died of a lack of oxygen.
On May 25, four police officials detained Floyd after he had allegedly used a counterfeit bill at a store in Minnesota. Chauvin, kneeled on Floyd’s neck as the others watched and did nothing to stop him, though passersby stopped to question the officers. Floyd was unarmed.
Protests grew after a widely shared video showed Chauvin kneeling for almost nine minutes on Floyd, as...