Former police officer Derek Chauvin has been found guilty of unintentional second-degree murder, third degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter following the completion of his trial on Tuesday. According to Judge Peter Cahill, the sentencing for Chauvin will be decided in several weeks.
The murder by Chauvin occurred in May 2020, when he was filmed pinning down George Floyd’s neck with his knee for nine minutes. Floyd was a resident of Minneapolis who was active with his community’s church and other organizations, as well as a father of five children. His murder sparked protests all over the nation and brought the Black Lives Matter movement to the forefront of American activism, with a mission of eliminating police brutality and systemic racism.
Chauvin was represented by defense attorney Eric Nelson, who argued that there were other factors besides Chauvin’s knee that caused his death and that Chauvin was only “doing [his] job in a highly stressful situation.” Prosecutor Steve Schleicher emphasized that Chauvin “wasn’t policing” when he chose to ignore Floyd’s and the bystander’s pleas to ease his restraint. Ultimately, the jury agreed with Schleicher that Chauvin had committed an act of murder.
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