A former Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, who pressed his knee into George Floyd’s neck until well past his (Floyd’s) final breath was found guilty of murder on Tuesday in a case that shook the American nation’s conscience and drew millions into the streets for the largest racial justice protests in generations, reports Western media.
The verdict, which could send the former police officer, Derek Chauvin, to prison for decades, was a rare rebuke of police violence, following case after case of officers going without charges or convictions after killing Black men, women and children.
At the centre of it all was an excruciating video, taken by a teenage girl that showed Mr. Chauvin, who is white, kneeling on the neck of Mr. Floyd, who was Black, for nine minutes and 29 seconds as Mr. Floyd pleaded for his life and bystanders tried to intervene. Mr. Floyd repeated “I can’t breathe” more than 20 times during the encounter.
This week, over the course of two days, a racially diverse jury of 12 — seven women and five men — deliberated for about 10 hours before pronouncing Mr. Chauvin guilty on all three charges: second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
The presumptive sentence for the most serious charge, second-degree murder, is 12.5 years, according to Minnesota’s sentencing guidelines. But the prosecution has asked for a lengthier sentence, arguing that there were children present at the scene, that Mr. Chauvin treated Mr. Floyd with “particular cruelty” and that he “abused his position of authority.” However, the judge will sentence Mr. Chauvin, 45, in eight weeks.
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden praised the verdict in a nationwide address at the White House but called it a “too rare” step to deliver “basic accountability” for Black Americans.
“It was a murder in full light of day, and it ripped the blinders off for the whole world to see,” Mr. Biden said, adding: “For so many, it feels like it took all of that for the judicial system to deliver just basic accountability.” Hours before the jury came back with a decision, Mr. Biden had taken the unusual step of weighing in, telling reporters that he was “praying” for the “right verdict.”
After the verdict, Philonise Floyd, one of Mr. Floyd’s younger brothers, spoke at the Hilton hotel in downtown Minneapolis, saying, “We are able to breathe again,” holding back tears. People gathered at the intersection where Mr. Floyd was killed, now known as George Floyd Square, and the word “Guilty” rippled throughout the crowd after the verdict was announced, prompting cheers and sobs. The crowd began to chant, “Black lives matter.” Mr. Chauvin, who had been free on bail during the trial, was ordered into custody by the judge, Peter A. Cahill, and was taken out of the courtroom in handcuffs.
Earlier, summing up weeks of damaging testimony in the case including from eyewitnesses, police officer and medical experts, the special prosecutor, Steve Schleicher, commented Mr. Chauvin “had to know” that he was killing Mr. Floyd when he pressed his knee into the man’s neck and back when he was handcuffed, face down on the street, crying out for breath and for dead mother.
The prosecution distanced accused police officer saying he was no more a police man when he showed complete disregard to his police uniform and the police badge. He was a criminal and was being tried as a criminal and as police. The message should equally be interpreted in other countries including ours.
Besides, the gun power arrogance of the police must be reviewed. In many cases the police behave in a confrontational manner out of the consciousness of their power to shoot and kill. They must not all carry guns. There should be special squad of senior police officers waiting in vintage points to be called by the unarmed police if the situation so calls for.
