Derek Chauvin, former Minneapolis police officer, has been
convicted for the murder of George Floyd
The jury at a Minnesota state court found Chauvin guilty on
all three counts of murder at its sitting on Tuesday.
Floyd, an African American, died in May 2020 after Chauvin
pinned him to the ground and knelt on his neck.
The former officer was arresting him for allegedly spending a counterfeit $20 note in a shop.
The video of the incident in which Floyd pleaded, “I can’t
breathe,” went viral and sparked major protests within and outside the US.
An autopsy later confirmed that the cause of Floyd’s death
was linked to pressure on his neck.
Chauvin was sacked from his job alongside three other
officers involved in the incident.
He was also charged with unintentional second-degree murder,
third-degree murder and manslaughter.
He had pleaded not guilty to all three charges.
During his trial, Steve Schleicher, Floyd’s lawyer, had
talked about what he believed to be the deceased’s “desperate struggle” to lift
his chest and fill his lungs with air.
He had also reminded the judges of Floyd’s last words:
“Please, I can’t breathe.”
But Eric Nelson, the defence attorney, had argued that there
is no evidence that Floyd’s airflow was restricted during his arrest.
“The use of force is not attractive, but it is a necessary
component of policing,” he had said.
He had also said Chauvin “did exactly what he had been
trained to do over the course of his 19-year career”.
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