Wednesday, 21 April 2021_A US jury has found former Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin guilty of third-degree murder in the May 2020 death of George Floyd.
The verdict was read in Hennepin County court on Tuesday as Black Lives Matter activists hit the streets to protest rampant police brutality in the United States.
Chauvin was found guilty of all the three criminal counts he was facing.
He faces up to 40 years in prison for second-degree murder, up to 25 years for third-degree murder and up to 10 years for second-degree manslaughter.
Derek Chauvin is the FIRST white police officer convicted for murdering a Black man in Minnesota history.
— Public Citizen (@Public_Citizen) April 20, 2021
In recent days, more than 3,000 National Guard soldiers, along with police officers, state police, sheriffs deputies and other law enforcement personnel have flooded the city.
After closing arguments, the jury began deliberations Monday afternoon.
Chauvin placed his knee on Floyd's neck while he pleaded, "I can't breathe."
The conviction should not be represented as a panacea for structured racism, riddling the law enforcement and justice system, many activists have noted.
From the NPC: The verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial is not justice. Justice looks like a world where George Floyd grows old, where Black people can live with dignity, where police no longer terrorize our streets. 1/4
— DSA
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