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On Tuesday, a Hennepin County jury found former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin guilty of murder in the killing of Minneapolis man George Floyd. Chauvin was found guilty on three counts: second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and manslaughter. Floyd, 46, was killed on May 25, 2020, after Chauvin kneeled on his neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds outside a shop. Floyd called out for help and flailed, and then went unresponsive. His death sparked a summer of protests—including here in St. Louis—against police brutality.
Jurors deliberated for 10 hours before reaching a verdict in the case. Judge Peter Cahill, who presided over the trial, said that Chauvin's sentencing will take place in eight weeks. Bail was revoked, and Chauvin was led away after Cahill read the verdict.
In St. Louis, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Commissioner Colonel John Hayden released a statement on the verdict:
The Ethical Society of Police, an organization that works to address race-based discrimination in the city and county police departments, released the following statement:
The guilty verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial was just a pebble in the ocean. There must be law enforcement reform to prevent tragic death like this from continuing to happen. We as minorities are growing tired of being victims at the hand of rough law enforcement officers. We are tired of being victims of systemic prejudice and racism against us.
This victory is small but historical. Yet, why should we be thankful for something that is right? Why should we be thankful when George Floyd doesn't have his life or his future. We all need to continue to fight for a change. We need a change in law enforcement policy. We need a change that recognizes minorities as productive citizens in society. We need change to end this systemic racism.
Earlier, Congresswoman Cori Bush tweeted that she hoped the verdict would be a step toward accountability:
She later followed the tweet with a statement on the verdict:
“This trial has been nothing short of a traumatizing, painful and gut-wrenching reminder of how difficult it is to hold police accountable when they murder members of our community. Over the last month, we’ve been retraumatized, over, and over again as we watched 8 minutes and 46 seconds become 9 minutes and 29 seconds. We watched George Floyd’s brother weep on the stand, we watched a young person share the horror of witnessing this murder and we watched the character of George Floyd be put on trial, despite this being the trial of Derek Chauvin.
“And as we were bearing this pain, we witnessed a police officer murder 20-year-old Daunte Wright just miles from the courthouse. We witnessed militarized police invade the Minneapolis area, dropping tear gas and shooting rubber bullets upon people expressing their right to protest. All of the conditions that led to George Floyd’s death, to Daunte Wright’s death, to Adam Toledo’s death remain in place.
“Listening to the verdict today, I wanted to be overjoyed. But the truth is we should not have to wait with bated breath to find out whether accountability will be served.
“We live in a country where less than 1% of police officers are convicted for murdering civilians. The officers who murdered Breonna Taylor were not convicted. The officer who murdered Mike Brown Jr. was not convicted. The officer who murdered Stephon Clark was not convicted. The list goes on and on.
“This trial has always been about one police officer in a corrupt and violent system that continues to disproportionately target Black and brown people. We’ve all been forced to grapple with the question: What is justice? Because our criminal-legal system is not a just system—it’s a violent and oppressive one. A just world is one where George Floyd is never murdered. It’s one where Daunte Wright isn’t pulled over for having air fresheners hanging from his rearview mirror. It’s one where Black lives matter. These are the same demands we had on the streets of Ferguson. These are the demands we brought to Congress. And, together, we will continue working on an ambitious set of policy proposals to transform public safety and to ensure communities like St. Louis no longer live under the constant threat of police violence.”
State representatives took to Twitter as well to voice their support of the verdict:
