Former Officer Convicted of Murder in George Floyd's Death
2021-04-21
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1A jury of five men and seven women found a former Minneapolis officer guilty of murder and manslaughter Tuesday in the death of George Floyd.
2The jury, including six white people and six people of color, spent about 10 hours to reach the verdict from the three-week trial.
3They found Derek Chauvin, the former police officer, guilty of all three charges of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
4Chauvin could face up to 40 years in jail for the second-degree murder charge alone.
5Floyd, a Black man, died last May after Chauvin, a white police officer, pressed a knee on his neck for about 9 minutes 29 seconds.
6Floyd's death led to nationwide protests against racism and policing in the United States.
7Some of the protests turned violent and led to property damage and injuries.
8George Floyd's family released a statement through their lawyer.
9It said, "This case is a turning point in American history for accountability of law enforcement and sends a clear message we hope is heard clearly in every city and every state."
10They also shared a video of their phone call with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris after the verdict.
11Speaking from the White House later in the day, Vice President Harris said, "Today we feel a sigh of relief.Still, it cannot take away the pain. A measure of justice isn't the same as equal justice."
12She added, "This verdict brings us a step closer, and the fact is, we still have work to do. We still must reform the system."
13President Biden called the verdict "a giant step forward in the march towards justice in America."
14He compared the knee on Floyd's neck to "the knee on the neck of justice for Black Americans."
15Outside the courthouse and at the street corner where Floyd was killed, people cheered the news with calls of "justice" and "Black Lives Matter."
16Others ran through the streets waving signs and cars sounded their horns.
17Across the nation, officials had been concerned about the possibility of violence.
18Armed National Guard and law enforcement had been activated to guard against a repeat of last year's riots in some areas including Minneapolis.
19In its closing arguments, the government showed video of Chauvin with his knee on Floyd's neck for nine minutes and 29 seconds.
20In the video, Floyd could be heard repeatedly saying, "I can't breathe..." A government lawyer told the jury, "This case is exactly what you thought when you saw it first, when you saw that video."
21The defense asked the jury to consider that Chauvin was answering an emergency call about a male suspect who used fake money and appeared to be "under the influence," of drugs.
22A defense lawyer said, "All of the evidence shows that Mr. Chauvin thought he was following his training...He was following Minneapolis police department policies. He was trained this way."
23Speaking to reporters, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison thanked the witnesses who recorded the video and testified in the case.
24He said they "raised their voices because they knew that what they were seeing was wrong," and then "told the whole world" what they saw.
25After the verdict was announced in the courtroom, a court officer asked the former police officer, " Mr. Chauvin, please place your hands behind your back."
26He then handcuffed the former Minneapolis police officer's left hand, then his right hand, and led him away.
27I'm Caty Weaver.
1A jury of five men and seven women found a former Minneapolis officer guilty of murder and manslaughter Tuesday in the death of George Floyd. 2The jury, including six white people and six people of color, spent about 10 hours to reach the verdict from the three-week trial. They found Derek Chauvin, the former police officer, guilty of all three charges of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Chauvin could face up to 40 years in jail for the second-degree murder charge alone. 3Floyd, a Black man, died last May after Chauvin, a white police officer, pressed a knee on his neck for about 9 minutes 29 seconds. Floyd's death led to nationwide protests against racism and policing in the United States. Some of the protests turned violent and led to property damage and injuries. 4George Floyd's family released a statement through their lawyer. It said, "This case is a turning point in American history for accountability of law enforcement and sends a clear message we hope is heard clearly in every city and every state." They also shared a video of their phone call with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris after the verdict. 5Speaking from the White House later in the day, Vice President Harris said, "Today we feel a sigh of relief. Still, it cannot take away the pain. A measure of justice isn't the same as equal justice." She added, "This verdict brings us a step closer, and the fact is, we still have work to do. We still must reform the system." 6President Biden called the verdict "a giant step forward in the march towards justice in America." He compared the knee on Floyd's neck to "the knee on the neck of justice for Black Americans." 7Outside the courthouse and at the street corner where Floyd was killed, people cheered the news with calls of "justice" and "Black Lives Matter." Others ran through the streets waving signs and cars sounded their horns. 8Across the nation, officials had been concerned about the possibility of violence. Armed National Guard and law enforcement had been activated to guard against a repeat of last year's riots in some areas including Minneapolis. 9In its closing arguments, the government showed video of Chauvin with his knee on Floyd's neck for nine minutes and 29 seconds. In the video, Floyd could be heard repeatedly saying, "I can't breathe..." A government lawyer told the jury, "This case is exactly what you thought when you saw it first, when you saw that video." 10The defense asked the jury to consider that Chauvin was answering an emergency call about a male suspect who used fake money and appeared to be "under the influence," of drugs. A defense lawyer said, "All of the evidence shows that Mr. Chauvin thought he was following his training...He was following Minneapolis police department policies. He was trained this way." 11Speaking to reporters, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison thanked the witnesses who recorded the video and testified in the case. He said they "raised their voices because they knew that what they were seeing was wrong," and then "told the whole world" what they saw. 12After the verdict was announced in the courtroom, a court officer asked the former police officer, " Mr. Chauvin, please place your hands behind your back." He then handcuffed the former Minneapolis police officer's left hand, then his right hand, and led him away. 13I'm Caty Weaver. 14Hai Do wrote this report for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter Jr. was the editor. 15________________________________________________ 16Words in This Story 17verdict -n. the decision made by a jury in a trial 18accountability -n. responsibility for something 19horn -n. a device that makes a loud sound 20fake -n. meant to look real or genuine but not real 21We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.