Derek Chauvin found guilty on all charges
Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has been found guilty on all charges in the murder of George Floyd.
The jury found Mr Chauvin was:
- Guilty of second-degree unintentional murder
- Guilty of third-degree murder
- Guilty of second-degree manslaughter
The verdict was delivered after about 10 hours of deliberations over two days. He was handcuffed and remanded in custody to await sentencing in eight weeks, when he could face up to 40 years in prison on a second-degree murder charge and up to 25 years for third-degree murder. Second-degree manslaughter carries a maximum of 10 years.
Joe Biden cancelled scheduled events to watch the verdict from the West Wing after saying that the evidence was “overwhelming” and he was “praying” for the right decision. After the verdict, he called the Floyd family and said while nothing will make it all better, “at least God now there is some justice”.
“We’ve been watching every second of this, and the vice president, all of us, and we’re all so relieved not just for one verdict but all three, guilty on all three counts, and it’s just really important,” he said.
Despite the decision, trial judge Peter Cahill previously said comments from Democrat congresswoman Maxine Waters could see the whole trial overturned on appeal. She had encouraged protesters to get “more confrontational” if Mr Chauvin was not found guilty.
Following weeks of testimony from both sides, the prosecution and defence ended their closing arguments on Monday, with Prosecutor Steve Schleicher urging jurors to “believe your eyes” as defence attorney Eric Nelson said that the state failed to establish beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr Chauvin murdered Mr Floyd.
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Read The Independent’s updates and analysis below.
In pictures: People celebrate guilty verdict in Derek Chauvin trial at George Floyd Square
People celebrate and dance in Washington Square Park after the verdict in the trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin
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Kate Ng21 April 2021 08:54
How long will Derek Chauvin get in prison?
Now that former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has been found guilty of all three charges he faced by a 12-person jury, how long will he be behind bars and what does the verdict mean?
My colleague Danielle Zoellner explains:
Kate Ng21 April 2021 08:32
Ohio police tell bystanders ‘blue lives matter’ moments after girl shot dead as Chauvin verdict delivered
A police officer told a crowd gathered at the scene where a black teenage girl was killed by police in Ohio that “blue lives matter”, just moments after the verdict in the George Floyd murder trial was reached.
At a news conference on Tuesday, the Columbus Police Department released body camera footage which showed the moment the 16-year-old was killed.
Kate Ng21 April 2021 08:10
Black teenager shot dead by police in Ohio on day of George Floyd verdict
A Black teenage girl was shot and killed by police in Ohio on the same day the verdict in the George Floyd murder trial was reached.
Family members identified 16-year-old Makiyah Bryant as the victim of the shooting in the city of Columbus.
Kate Ng21 April 2021 07:44
Barack and Michelle Obama react to verdict
Former US president Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama have released a statement in response to the verdict on Derek Chauvin.
They said in a statement that the jury “did the right thing”, but added that there was more work to be done to work towards “true justice”.
The statement read: “True justice requires that we come to terms with the fact that Black Americans are treated differently, every day. It requires us to recognise that millions of our friends, family and fellow citizens live in fear that their next encounter with law enforcement could be their last.
“And it requires us to do the sometimes thankless, often difficult, but always necessary work of making the America we know more like the America we believe in.”
Read the full statement below:
Kate Ng21 April 2021 07:29
‘I just cried so hard’: Teen who filmed George Floyd arrest celebrates verdict
Darnella Frazier, the teenager who captured George Floyd’s last moments in footage that served as one of the most compelling pieces of evidence in his murder trial, celebrated Tuesday’s verdict and said she broke down hearing the jury’s decision.
“I just cried so hard,” she said in a Facebook post after the verdict. “This last hour my heart was beating so fast, I was so anxious, anxiety bussing through the roof.”
The 17-year-old, who also testified during the trial, said: “George Floyd we did it!! justice has been served.”
Tom Batchelor21 April 2021 07:02
Black lawmakers revive calls for justice for victims of police violence after Chauvin verdict
Members of theCongressional Black Caucus revived calls for Congress to pass a sweeping police reform legislation backed by the White House following Derek Chauvin’s guilty verdicts for the killing of George Floyd.
“This is just the first step,” said Caucus chair Joyce Beatty, surrounded by lawmakers at the Capitol on Tuesday.
Alex Woodward has the story.
Graeme Massie21 April 2021 04:03
‘The world is watching’: The fight for Minneapolis police reform after Derek Chauvin’s murder conviction
In a Minnesota court on Tuesday, Derek Chauvin, a white former Minneapolis police officer, was convicted of murdering George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, and could face up to 40 years in prison. But the long struggle for racial justice in Minneapolis and the country at large is nowhere close to finished, according to community residents, leaders, and activists.
Graeme Massie21 April 2021 03:31
Candace Owens tells Tucker Carlson that Chauvin verdict was ‘mob justice’
Ms Owens appeared on Carlson’s Fox News show and declared that “no person can say this was a fair trial.”
Graeme Massie21 April 2021 03:02
From Breonna to Tamir to Eric: What happens to police officers who kill Black people
George Floyd’s death at the hands of police offices in Minneapolis last year sparked nationwide protest and led to a renewed outcry for racial justice in the United States.
Over the past few weeks the country has relived the pain and anger caused by the public death of Mr Floyd after the 9 minutes and 29 seconds he spent pinned under the knee of former police officer Derek Chauvin.
Here,The Independent looks back at some of those shocking killings and what happened to the officers responsible for them.
Graeme Massie21 April 2021 02:30
