The nation is still abuzz Wednesday after a jury convicted former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin on all counts of murder and manslaughter in the death of George Floyd. The verdict, which found Chauvin guilty of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter after he knelt on Floyd for more than nine minutes last May, set off celebrations nationwide filled with tears, hugs and relief.
April 21, 2021 at 2:16 p.m. EDT
Now, all eyes turn to Chauvin’s sentencing in the coming weeks, where he faces up to 40 years in prison, as well as the trials in August for the three other former Minneapolis police officers facing charges stemming from Floyd’s death.
Though the Minnesota sentencing guidelines recommend lesser sentences — 12.5 years on the murder charge — for someone who does not have a criminal history, the state is pushing for a tougher sentencing.
Chauvin’s mug shot was released early Wednesday by the Minnesota Department of Corrections. He is being held at a segregated unit of a state prison about 25 miles outside Minneapolis as he awaits sentencing, CNN reported.
When are the other officers heading to court?
In addition to Chauvin, three other former Minneapolis police officers — Tou Thao, Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng — are scheduled to head to court in August.
The three men face charges of aiding and abetting second-degree murder as well as second-degree manslaughter. Like Chauvin, they could each face up to 40 years in prison for the aiding and abetting murder charge, but sentencing guidelines could limit the maximum sentence to around 15 years. At a Minnesota Court of Appeals hearing scheduled for next month, the state will attempt to add a third-degree murder charge for Thao, Lane and Kueng.
The trial for the three former officers is happening Aug. 23 after a judge split them from Chauvin, citing covid-19 protocols. All of them are currently free on $750,000 bail.
What’s the status of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act?
With Chauvin’s conviction, the Floyd family will likely turn its attention toward securing passage of federal legislation aimed at reducing police brutality and racism.
The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act is a reform measure introduced by Democrats last year that could help reshape police training in the U.S. Among the reforms included in the bill are prohibiting racial profiling throughout law enforcement, banning chokeholds and instituting a national police misconduct registry. The act passed in the House but it remains stalled in the Senate.
Vice President Harris, who introduced the legislation last year as a member of the Senate, urged senators to pass the bill, saying “this work is long overdue” and that racial injustice is “a problem for every American.”
After the verdict was announced, Floyd’s family members emphasized the importance of the Senate passing the police reform measure. In an op-ed for The Washington Post on Wednesday, Philonise Floyd called on the Senate to “begin the work of transforming policing in the United States” by passing the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.
“What does justice feel like?” he wrote. “It feels like maybe we can finally take a breath.”
Garland says Justice Dept. probe to determine whether ‘Minneapolis police engaged in a pattern or practice of unconstitutional or unlawful policing’
During remarks at Justice Department headquarters on Wednesday, Garland said the civil investigation following Chauvin’s conviction would determine whether “Minneapolis police engaged in a pattern or practice of unconstitutional or unlawful policing.”
The Trump administration had opened a federal civil rights investigation in the case days after Floyd died last May when Chauvin pressed his knee on his neck for more than nine minutes while he was prone on the ground. Garland said in a statement late Tuesday that a criminal probe is ongoing.
“Nothing can fill the void the loved ones of George Floyd have felt since his death,” Garland said. “My heart goes out to them and to all those who have experienced similar loss.”
He said the civil probe will examine whether the Minneapolis police have engaged in excessive force, discriminatory conduct or abused those with mental or physical disabilities.
‘What a day to be a Floyd’
Terrence Floyd, one of George Floyd’s brothers, delivered an emotional statement in which he expressed his gratitude for all of the “support and prayers and love” shown for the Floyd family.
He also thanked all those who have long fought for social justice and racial equality, including the Rev. Jesse Jackson, saying, “Their fight was not in vain.”
At a news conference after the jury’s guilty verdict, Floyd underlined how significant Tuesday’s resolution was for his family and to history.
“I will miss him, but now I know he’s in history,” Terrence Floyd said. “What a day to be a Floyd, man.”
Darnella Frazier, teen who filmed Floyd’s arrest, celebrates conviction: ‘Justice has been served’
The teenager who captured the world’s attention with her cellphone footage of George Floyd’s arrest and death last year, said she sobbed after jurors in Minneapolis returned a guilty verdict for former police officer Derek Chauvin on Tuesday.
“I just cried so hard,” 18-year-old Darnella Frazier wrote on Facebook. “This last hour my heart was beating so fast, I was so anxious. … But to know GUILTY ON ALL 3 CHARGES !!! THANK YOU GOD THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU.”
“George Floyd we did it!!” she wrote, ending her post with: “justice has been served.”
As the nation celebrated the rare instance of a police officer being convicted of the murder of a Black person, many pointed to Frazier recording Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck in a video that’s been seen millions of times worldwide as a catalyst for the events that led to Tuesday’s guilty verdict.
On Instagram, Frazier thanked everyone for the public support over the last year. She again offered her condolences and love to Floyd’s family, saying she hoped they could find some semblance of justice from Chauvin’s conviction.
“Although no amount of charges will bring back a loved one, justice was served and his murderer will pay the price,” she said. “We did it.”
World reacts to Chauvin’s guilty verdict
Foreign leaders and media outlets began to react to Chauvin’s conviction in a case that sparked an international reckoning and has grasped the attention of observers around the world.
British politicians at the highest levels of government were quick to weigh in.
“I was appalled by the death of George Floyd and welcome this verdict,” British Prime Minister Boris Johnson wrote on Twitter.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan tweeted that he was thinking of Floyd’s loved ones. “I welcome the verdict but by itself this won’t heal the pain of their loss, which reverberated around the world,” he wrote. “The guilty verdict must be the beginning of real change — not the end.”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in an interview on “Real Talk Ryan Jespersen” that “it is good news that we saw the verdict come through where people hoped it would.”
“But it still underlines that there’s an awful lot of work to do,” he said.
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