Washington: A US jury in the state of Minnesota on Tuesday found former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin guilty in the African-American George Floyd murder case. The Floyd family’s lawyer, Ben Crump welcomed the verdict.
The Jury found him guilty on three charges: second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
On May 25, 2020, while trying to arrest Floyd, the cop knelt on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes. In the video, Floyd could be heard saying: “I can’t breathe” when Chauvin’s knee was on his neck. Subsequently, Floyd became unconscious and died at a hospital.
The incident happened when the police responded to a call from a convenience store where Floyd was accused of passing a counterfeit $20 bill.
The incident triggered mass protest across the world. Chauvin, 45, could be sent behind the bar for many decades.
Ahead of the verdict, National Guard troops were deployed in Minneapolis to maintain law and order.
