Yesterday, Derek Chauvin, a former Minneapolis, Minnesota police officer, was found guilty of murdering US citizen George Floyd. He was then taken into custody until sentencing, and could spend up to 40 years in prison.
Floyd, a Black man, died on May 25, after Chauvin, a Caucasian police officer, pinned Floyd to the ground for over nine minutes and, preventing him from breathing. Floyd was 46 years old. The incident was recorded on video by a bystander, and the video shows Floyd repeatedly saying “I can’t breathe”. Floyd’s death prompted protests around the world.
Chauvin, 45, was charged with three different crimes: second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter. The trial began on March 29.
In his defense, Chauvin’s lawyers argued his actions were “reasonable” and sought to cast doubt on the cause of Floyd’s death, arguing a heart condition and the use of illegal drugs by Floyd were to blame. The defense witnesses included both an expert on the use of force by policy, and a forensic pathologist. The Associated Press reported that Floyd’s system contained both fentanyl and methamphetamine.
Witnesses for the prosecution, including a forensic pathologist, a cardiologist, and a pulmonologist, testified the cause of death was a lack of oxygen — asphyxia — due to the way in which Chauvin pinned Floyd against the ground, and Chauvin used excessive force in violation of his training.
The jury returned guilty verdicts on all three charges after deliberating for two days. Three other Minneapolis police officers have been changed with aiding-and-abetting Chauvin and are awaiting trial. Chauvin and the three other officers were fired by the Minneapolis Police Department the day after Floyd’s death.
Source: WikiNews
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