The former Minneapolis Police officer who knelt on George Floyd’s neck for more than 9 minutes last year was found guilty on Tuesday of all three charges against him in one of the most consequential trials of the Black Lives Matter era.
The death of Floyd drew condemnation in the United States and around the world raising concerns on how blacks in the United States were viewed and handled. There were mass protests across the United States calling for the conviction of the officer.
Derek Chauvin, 45, was convicted of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter. The jurors deliberated for more than 10 hours over two days before coming to their decision.
Wearing a mask inside the Hennepin County Courthouse in Minneapolis, Chauvin had no apparent reaction to the guilty verdict. Afterward, his bail was revoked and he was placed in handcuffs and removed from the court through a side door.
He was taken to a facility in Stillwater, Minnesota, about 25 miles east of downtown Minneapolis, officials said. Former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin was removed from the court in handcuffs on Tuesday, April 20, 2021.
The second-degree murder charge said Chauvin assaulted Floyd with his knee, which unintentionally caused Floyd’s death. The third-degree murder charge said Chauvin acted with a “depraved mind,” and the manslaughter charge said his “culpable negligence” caused Floyd’s death.
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“There are those who will seek to exploit the raw emotions at the moment — agitators and extremists who have no interest in social justice,” said President Joe Biden while commenting on the verdict. “We can’t let them succeed.”
A jury deliberated less than 11 hours before finding the 45-year-old Chauvin guilty of all three charges against him — second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and manslaughter.