Former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted Tuesday on all counts in the death of George Floyd, whose killing sparked worldwide protests and a reckoning on race in the U.S. After about a day of deliberations, the jury found Chauvin guilty of unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
Judge Peter Cahill read the verdict at the heavily secured Hennepin County Government Center in downtown Minneapolis, where the trial began last month. Chauvin 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 may get much less time under state sentencing guidelines. 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 had violated the department’s stated mission to serve with courage and compassion.
