Former Police Who Killed George Floyd Is Being Convicted, President Biden: A Step Forward To Justice

JAKARTA - Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of all charges of murder against George Floyd, a black man in court Tuesday, April 20, local time.

A 12-member jury found Chauvin, 45, guilty of all three counts of second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and murder after considering three weeks of testimony from 45 witnesses, including observers, police officials, and medical experts.

The trial presented four white female judges, two white men, three black men, one black woman, and two multiracial women. The deliberation process took place on Monday 19 April and took 10 hours

In the confrontation captured on video, Derek Chauvin, a veteran white police officer, shoves his knee against the neck of George Floyd, a handcuffed 46-year-old black man, for more than nine minutes on May 25, 2020. Chauvin and three fellow officers attempted to arrest him. George Floyd, who is accused of using a counterfeit of USD 20 to buy cigarettes at the grocery store.

Chauvin's defense team did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the ruling, but will likely appeal the sentencing.

Derek Chauvin, dressed in a gray suit with a blue tie and light blue mask, nodded and stood up quickly when the judge ruled his bail was withdrawn. He was taken out of the courtroom in handcuffs and placed in sheriff Hennepin's custody.

Outside the courthouse, a crowd of several hundred cheered as the verdict was announced, a scene that unfolded in cities across the country. Car horns honked, demonstrators blocked traffic and chanted; 'George Floyd'.

While at George Floyd Square in Minneapolis, the intersection where Floyd was killed and which was later named in his honor, people shouted, applauded, and several threw dollar bills into the air to celebrate.

"We can breathe again after the verdict, however, the fight for justice is not over yet. We have to protest because it looks like this cycle never ends", George Floyd's brother Philonise said in a press statement.

The first step

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison told reporters the ruling was the first step towards justice and should serve as a starting point for police reform.

"We need to use this ruling as a point of change", he said.

Chauvin will now face up to 40 years in prison. The Minneapolis jury found that Chauvin had crossed the line and used excessive force.

Under the Minnesota sentencing guidelines, Chauvin faces 12.5 years in prison, on the penalty of murder as a first-time criminal.

Prosecutors can apply for a longer sentence of up to 40 years if Hennepin District Judge Peter Cahill determines there are aggravating factors. Cahill said Chauvin's sentence was likely to be eight weeks away.

Separately, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris watched the verdict read along with staff in the White House's private dining room, the White House said. Biden, Harris, and first lady Jill Biden all spoke with Philonise Floyd.

"Nothing is going to make things better, but at least there is justice now", Biden told the Floyd family he contacted after the trial, according to a video posted on Twitter.

"It was murder during the day and a blindfold for the rest of the world to see systemic racism", said President Joe Biden in televised remarks.

"This could be a huge step forward on the road to justice in America", he continued.

In his comments, Biden stressed his support for legislation to stamp out unconstitutional policies, including the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which has been passed by the US House of Representatives and seeks to increase accountability for law enforcement violations.