Derek Chauvin Led Away in Handcuffs After Jury Finds Him Guilty of Murder

Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who knelt on George Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes last May, was convicted of second-degree murder in his politically explosive trial.

Chauvin, 45, was charged in the death of Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man accused of passing a counterfeit bill at a convenience store. Under Minnesota law he faces as many as four decades in prison, although he will probably get much less time under state sentencing guidelines. The jury got the case on April 19 following three weeks of emotional and sometimes graphic testimony from medical experts, family members and anguished bystanders.

Chauvin, who is White, was captured in a viral video pinning Floyd chest down to the pavement, even as Floyd repeatedly cried out, “I can’t breathe.” The incident spurred millions of people across America and in other nations to take to the streets to protest police violence and racism. The state argued that Chauvin was a bad cop who violated the department’s stated mission to serve with courage and compassion. The defense said cardiovascular problems and drug use had played a significant role in Floyd’s death and that Chauvin used reasonable force to detain an actively resisting suspect.

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