In this image from video, defense attorney Eric Nelson, left, and former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin address Judge Peter Cahill at the courthouse in Minneapolis during Chauvin’s trial in the death of George Floyd. (Court TV / Pool)

In this image from video, defense attorney Eric Nelson, left, and former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin address Judge Peter Cahill at the courthouse in Minneapolis during Chauvin’s trial in the death of George Floyd. (Court TV / Pool)

Ex-cop guilty of murder and manslaughter in Floyd case

By Amy Forliti, Stephen Groves and Tammy Webber

Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS — Former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin has been convicted of murder and manslaughter in the death of George Floyd, the explosive case that triggered worldwide protests, violence and a furious reexamination of racism and policing in the U.S.

The jury reached its verdict Tuesday after deliberating about 10 hours over two days in a city on edge against another outbreak of unrest.

Floyd died last May after Chauvin, a white officer, pinned his knee on or close to the 46-year-old Black man’s neck for about 9 1/2 minutes.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

The verdict, arrived at after about 10 hours of deliberations over two days, was to be read late in the afternoon in a city on edge against the possibility of more unrest like that that erupted last spring.

The courthouse was ringed with concrete barriers and razor wire, and thousands of National Guard troops and law enforcement officers were brought in ahead of the verdict. Some businesses boarded up with plywood.

Floyd died last May after Chauvin, a 45-year-old now-fired white officer, pinned his knee on or close to the 46-year-old Black man’s neck for about 9 1/2 minutes as Floyd gasped that he couldn’t breathe and onlookers yelled at Chauvin to get off.

The jury, made up of six white people and six Black or multiracial people, weighed charges of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, with convictions on some, none or all of the charges possible. The most serious charge carries up to 40 years in prison.

The city has been on edge in recent days — not just over the Chauvin case but over the deadly police shooting of a 20-year-old Black man, Daunte Wright, in the nearby Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Center on April 11.

Earlier in the day Tuesday, President Joe Biden weighed in by saying he believes the case is “overwhelming.”

He said that he had spoken to Floyd’s family on Monday and “can only imagine the pressure and anxiety they’re feeling.”

“They’re a good family and they’re calling for peace and tranquility no matter what that verdict is,” Biden said. “I’m praying the verdict is the right verdict. I think it’s overwhelming, in my view. I wouldn’t say that unless the jury was sequestered now.”

The president has repeatedly denounced Floyd’s death but previously stopped short of commenting on the trial itself.

Other politicians and ordinary citizens also offered their opinion as the jury was deliberating.

“It shouldn’t be really even questioned whether there will be an acquittal or a verdict that doesn’t meet the scale of the crime that was committed,” Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Democrat, said in Brooklyn Center. The congresswoman said the Chauvin case looks open-and-shut.

Guilty verdicts could mark a turning point in the fight for racial equality, she said.

“We are holding on to one another for support. Hopefully this verdict will come soon and the community will start the process of healing,” Omar said.

More in News

(Juneau Empire file photo)
Aurora forecast through the week of March 16

These forecasts are courtesy of the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Geophysical Institute… Continue reading

A plane flies over the town after taking off from the dirt runway on Sept. 14, 2019, in Kivalina. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Possible Postal Service changes present challenge to Alaska Bypass Mail

Rural communities depend on service for food shipments.

The exterior of the Governor’s House on Wednesday, with Nov. 20, 2024, with decorations in place for the holiday season. (Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire file photo)
Turning Governor’s House into a short-term rental proposed by Alaska lawmaker

Republican House member says intent is fiscal responsibility, not a slight of often-absent GOP governor.

SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium’s Vintage Park Campus on its opening day of Dec. 19, 2023. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)
SEARHC starts up new online portal for patients

Starting later this month, SEARHC patients will be able to schedule appointments,… Continue reading

Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom (R-Alaska) chats with U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) before her annual address to the Alaska State Legislature on March 18, 2025. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire)
Murkowski embraces many of Trump’s goals, but questions his methods

Senator addresses flood concerns, federal firings, Medicaid worries in annual speech to Legislature.

This rendering depicts Huna Totem Corp.’s proposed new downtown development project. (City and Borough of Juneau)
Aak’w Landing private cruise ship dock advances to full Assembly for possible April vote

Modifications to proposed agreement include ship size limit, Coast Guard’s OK due to icebreaker.

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)
Police calls for Sunday, March 16, 2025

This report contains public information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

A map of Alaska shows the three Social Security Administration field offices in Juneau, Anchorage and Fairbanks. (Google Maps)
Update: Social Security to cut phone support, forces Alaskans online or to Juneau, Anchorage or Fairbanks

New policy announced Tuesday takes effect March 31; 60,000 rural Alaskans lack broadband.

Rep. Jeremy Bynum, R-Ketchikan, speaks Feb. 21, 2025, on the floor of the Alaska House of Representatives. (James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)
Alaska legislators ask feds to reinstate program that sent money to rural schools

The Alaska House of Representatives is asking Congress to fix a problem… Continue reading

Most Read