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A verdict has finally come in in the case of Derek Chauvin and the death of George Floyd.
The jury found ex-police officer Chauvin guilty of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
According to ABC 6, each murder charge carries a sentence of 12.5 years in prison, and manslaughter comes with a sentence of four years.
The jury reached that decision after deliberating 4 hours on Monday and 6.5 hours on Tuesday for a total of 10.5 hours.
Back on May 25, 2020, Chauvin was one of four officers who responded to a call in Minneapolis, Minnesota, at a nearby market on suspicion of using a counterfeit $20 bill. Upon arrival, the police were able to get George Floyd into the back of the police truck but took him back out, claiming he wasn’t complying. After removing him, Chauvin pinned him to the ground and held his knee on his neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds while Floyd begged him to stop, yelled for his mother, and repeatedly said he couldn’t breathe.
Nearly a year later, the murder set off a string of protests around the country as Black people begged for change– not only when it comes to unfair interactions with police but systemic racism as well. Corporate America began pouring money into developing Black talent, professional sports were postponed, and celebrities even took to the streets in hopes of using their star power.
“Hollywood has a privilege as a creative industry to imagine and create. We have significant influence over culture and politics. We have the ability to use our influence to imagine and create a better world. Yet, historically and currently, Hollywood encourages the epidemic of police violence and culture of anti-Blackness,” read an open letter that was signed by Hollywood’s elite like Michael B. Jordan, Idris Elba, Kerry Washington.
Floyd’s untimely passing also sparked outrage for other Black people who were shot by police like Breonna Taylor, Elijah McClain, Jacob Blake, and most recently, Daunte Wright.
