Live Updates
Our live coverage has ended for the night, but you can read more here.
Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo thanked the members of his force Tuesday night in a written statement following the guilty verdicts handed down against former officer Derek Chauvin.
“This past year has been difficult and challenging yet they (the police) have continued to show up and serve our community with the respect and dignity they deserve,” Arradondo said. “We recognize that our community is hurting, and hearts are heavy with many emotions. However, I have hope.”
The police chief – who testified in the trial that Chauvin’s use of force against George Floyd had exceeded the guidelines of police training – said he respected the decision of the jury. Arradondo also called for any upcoming demonstrations to be peaceful.
Read the statement:
George Floyd’s brother Philonise Floyd said the guilty verdict in Derek Chauvin’s trial was “so much of a relief” after spending night after night awake and concerned about the outcome of the case.
“But today I won’t get that time to sleep, because I’m going to stay up and I’m going to celebrate, because this is a day of celebration. I’m happy, man,” Philonise Floyd told CNN’s Don Lemon.
Floyd said he was panicking and walking back and forth while waiting for the verdict. He said he entered the courtroom 30 minutes before the judge and jury. He said that half hour felt like “an eternity.”
He used that time to pray, he said.
Coming home with a win: Benjamin Crump, the Floyd family attorney, appeared beside Philonise during the interview. Crump recounted the family “all said George Floyd would’ve said ‘we just won the championship – tell them in Houston (Floyd’s hometown) we coming home with a W.’”
Crump said he hopes the decision will set a precedent going forward, especially in the case of Daunte Wright, a Black man who was fatally shot by police not far from where Floyd was killed.
Watch the interview:
Civil rights activist Rev. Jesse Jackson said the verdict reached in Derek Chauvin’s trial is “significant” but more is needed to stop police killings.
“It’s a relief, but the celebration is premature,” Jackson told CNN’s Sara Sidner near the Cup Foods where George Floyd was killed on May 25, 2020. “We still have a lot of work to do. This is a first down, not a touchdown.”
Jackson specifically referenced Daunte Wright, a Black man who was shot and killed by police about 10 miles away from where Floyd died.
“We’re going to bury Daunte Thursday, the killing continues. We must break the backbone of legal lynching forever. Police killing people is getting away with legal lynching,” Jackson said.
Maurice Lester Hall, a friend of George Floyd’s who witnessed the murder, said he believed the verdict in Derek Chauvin’s trial will mark a major turning point in the United States.
Hall, who declined a defense request to stand as their witness, said he chose to exercise his Fifth Amendment rights and not testify in the trial because he didn’t want to become a distraction.
“The defense ain’t on my side, so for calling me … it was useless, them calling me,” he said. “I know this is a historical moment, so I’ll have the chance of telling my story instead of it being narrated and scripted the way they want to paint it.”
Hall also said he will speak with his lawyers before deciding whether to testify in the upcoming trials for the officers who were with Chauvin that day.
“Big” Floyd: Hall said his friend’s nickname, “Big Floyd,” was fitting because he “always thought he was legendary.”
Hall said if Floyd were alive today, he would have embraced his name recognition.
“He comes from a hip-hop culture in Houston,” Hall explained. “He carried himself as if he was an athlete, a superstar.”
Watch the interview:
Donald Williams, one of the witnesses to George Floyd’s murder, said the decision reached by the jury to convict former police officer Derek Chauvin “means a lot” to him and his family.
Williams, who testified for the prosecution during the trial, said he wasn’t sure if he expected a guilty verdict in the case. He likened testifying to taking part in a “championship fight.”
“I just kept telling myself to stay mentally focused,” he said. “All I was just doing was telling the truth.”
Williams said now the verdict has been reached, he hopes he can help make the world a more just place for his children and other Black Americans.
Watch the moment:
Major figures in the sports world are weighing in on the jury’s decision to convict former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin on all charges for killing George Floyd.
All four US major men’s professional sports leagues or their leaders issued statements. So did Minnesota’s professional teams.
The NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves and the WNBA’s Lynx said in a joint statement they were “hopeful that today’s decision will serve as a step forward.”
The Timberwolves’ star center, Karl-Anthony Towns, said the verdict was something he “never thought he would see.”
Read the statements from Minnesota’s teams:
Outside Minnesota: Prominent Black athletes from around the world also praised the verdict. Basketball star LeBron James, a vocal advocate for voting rights and social justice in the United States, simply said “ACCOUNTABILITY.”
Bubba Wallace – the only Black driver in NASCAR’s top circuit – said “justice served on all accounts. Good.”
Derek Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer, has been convicted on all charges in the death of George Floyd.
Crowds of people have gathered in Minneapolis and across the country following today’s verdict. Here’s what you need to know.
What it was like in the courtroom
The courtroom was silent as the verdict was read, pool reporters inside said. Chauvin appeared to be in a daze while waiting for the jury to arrive and was staring at the empty jury seating area. He snapped out of it after a few seconds when his attorney, Eric Nelson, spoke with him.
Philonise Floyd, George Floyd’s brother, waited for the verdict in the courtroom with his head bowed and hands clasped. He appeared to alternate between praying, looking up towards Chauvin, and looking down praying again. As the first guilty verdict was read, his hands began shaking while clasped.
Reaction
Floyd’s family
What’s next
After Judge Peter Cahill read and confirmed the verdict with the jury, he announced technical next steps, including scheduling sentencing in eight weeks time.
Cahill said the court would look at written arguments from Chauvin “within one week” and issue factual findings on it. Then they will order a pre-sentencing investigation report, “returnable in four weeks.” That will be followed by a briefing on the pre-sentencing investigation report six weeks from now.
The sentencing
The maximum sentence for second-degree unintentional murder is imprisonment of not more than 40 years. The maximum sentence for third-degree murder is imprisonment of not more than 25 years. The maximum sentence for second-degree manslaughter is 10 years and/or $20,000.
Derek Chauvin has been transferred to the Minnesota Correctional Facility-Oak Park Heights, according to Minnesota Department of Corrections spokesperson Sarah Fitzgerald.
Chauvin arrived at the facility at 4:55 p.m. CT (5:55 pm. ET). He is there through an agreement between the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office and the Minnesota Department of Corrections, Fitzgerald told CNN.
The correctional facility is located in Stillwater, Minnesota, about 25 miles east of downtown Minneapolis. Fitzgerald added that a new booking photo of Chauvin will be available Wednesday.
Capitol Hill security forces abruptly reversed plans to reinstall outer perimeter fencing and call in additional security measures on Capitol Complex grounds minutes after Derek Chauvin was convicted.
The fencing was meant to protect against potential unrest related to the trial.
Late Tuesday afternoon, an official security alert went out to Senate lawmakers and staffers confirming that Capitol Police officials were “closely monitoring reports for potential First Amendment activities in response to the verdict in the Derek Chauvin case” and had “decided to re-install portions of the outer perimeter fence.” But just moments later, Chauvin was found guilty on three counts. Moments after that, a Capitol Police spokesperson told CNN that the department had no plans to put up fencing.
A separate source familiar with the security planning told CNN that the planned installation was suspended after Chauvin’s guilty verdict was handed down.
“We’ll reassess tomorrow based on overnight developments. If all is quiet I suspect we’ll turn this off all together,” this person said.
CNN has asked Capitol Police for comment on the timing of their request.
Some context: Cities across the country, including Washington, DC, have been preparing for potential unrest related to the Chauvin trial since at least last week. The District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Department announced April 15 plans to prepare for potential unrest related to the verdict that was expected to come this week. Yet the Capitol Police did not request the boosted security measures until Monday—the day that the jury began its deliberations in the Chauvin case.
The source familiar with the planning acknowledged that the verdict came sooner than Capitol security leadership had expected, but pushed back on the notion that the request for the fencing should have been made sooner than Monday.
“The intent was to be ready when the verdict came,” this person said, adding that the Capitol Police have been in daily communication with the DC Metropolitan Police. “We didn’t need it last week. The violence only started last week.”
After Derek Chauvin was found guilty on all three counts in the murder of George Floyd, Ben Jealous, a former NAACP leader, cited the history of community involvement and calls for social justice that led to Wednesday’s verdict.
“You think about all of the movements that had to be built in order for this moment to happen, all the activists in the street,” said Jealous, the president of People for the American Way.
“We have to see this as a beginning not an end until George Floyd’s daughter can, with confidence, know that she will be safe throughout her life in a way that her father was not able to be,” Jealous said.
Jealous told CNN’s Erin Burnett that the Chauvin verdict cemented the need for continued activism and challenges to unfair and unethical police practices.
“It’s so important that we stay in the streets, that we keep organizing and that we make sure that we actually don’t just try what we’ve tried before and that has failed, but actually have the courage to try new things.”
A group gathered in the Edgewood and Sweet Auburn neighborhood of Atlanta in front of a George Floyd mural after the guilty verdict came down in the Derek Chauvin trial.
The group chanted and sang demanding justice in a number of others cases and made remarks about Georgia’s voting laws.
The group marched to Centennial Olympic Park where they are now across the street from CNN Center.
US Attorney General Merrick Garland on Tuesday said the jury in the trial of Derek Chauvin has “fulfilled its civic duty and rendered a verdict convicting him on all counts.”
Garland said in a statement that the Justice Department’s federal civil rights investigation into the death of George Floyd “is ongoing.”
“While the state’s prosecution was successful, I know that nothing can fill the void that the loved ones of George Floyd have felt since his death. The Justice Department has previously announced a federal civil rights investigation into the death of George Floyd. This investigation is ongoing,” the statement said.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz lauded Tuesday’s verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial, and pledged that it is just the beginning to enacting real change for the Black community in his state.
“It’s an important step towards justice for Minnesota, trial’s over, but here in Minnesota, I want to be very clear, we know our work just begins. This is the floor, not the ceiling of where we need to get to,” Walz said.
“We know that accountability in the courtroom is only the very first step,” the governor continued. “To the Floyd family, we grieve for you, today is a small measure but George is not coming back. A child lost a father, a brother, an uncle, a friend. We mourn with you, and we promise the pursuit will continue for justice, as Attorney General [Keith] Ellison said, ‘this isn’t justice, it’s just one step towards it.’ Through justice for George Floyd will come through real systemic change, to prevent this from ever happening again.”
Walz said that today’s verdict represents a pivotal moment not just for his state, but for the entire country.
“This is our moment, and for those of you who have seen Minnesota, and as the governor of Minnesota, it breaks my heart, but my pledge is to make it better,” Walz added. “This is a great state, with great people, and it’s now our time to show that means, every single person.”
President Biden called the guilty verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial an indictment on unjust policing.
“No one should be above the law, and today’s verdict sends that message. But it’s not enough,” said the President, who spoke from the White House.
“We can’t stop here,” he added, noting that “in order to deliver real change and reform, we can and we must do more to reduce the likelihood that tragedies like this will ever happen or occur again.”
The President cited national goals of safety and inclusion moving forward, hoping that the jury’s decision can help “ensure Black and Brown people… don’t fear interactions with law enforcement.”
Biden said his hope for the future centers in part around a degree of comfort for parents in minority communities.
“They don’t have to worry about whether their sons or daughters will come home after a grocery store run or just walking down the street or driving their car or playing in the park,” he said.
“This takes acknowledging and confronting, head-on, systematic racism and the racial disparities that exist in policing and in our criminal justice system,” the President declared.
Watch the moment:
President Biden recounted a conversation he had today with Gianna Floyd, George’s Floyd’s daughter, in which he affirmed that her father’s death had sparked global change.
Biden said he met Gianna at Floyd’s funeral last year and “told her how brave I thought she was.”
“I knelt down and held her hand, I said ‘Daddy is looking down at you so proud,’” said Biden. “She said to me then… ‘Daddy changed the world.’”
Biden said when he spoke with Gianna again today, he told her, “Daddy did change the world. Let that be his legacy, a legacy of peace, not violence.”
The President then went on to rebuke those who might use this verdict as an excuse for violence.
“Violent protest is not [his legacy],” said Biden. “There are those who’ll seek to exploit the raw emotions of the moment. Agitators and extremists who have no interest in social justice, who seek to carry out violence, destroy property, fan the flames of hate and division…. We can’t let them succeed.”
Watch the moment:
President Biden today called the verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial a rare but “a giant step forward in the march towards justice in America.”
“Today the jury of Minnesota found the former police officer, Derek Chauvin, guilty on all counts in the murder of George Floyd,” said the President, speaking from the White House.
“It was a murder in the full light of day and it ripped the blinders off for the whole world to see … the systemic racism… a stain on our nation’s soul, the knee on the neck of justice for Black Americans,” Biden continued.
Watch the moment:
Vice President Kamala Harris addressed the guilty verdict in the Derek Chauvin case, noting that the country still has work to do.
“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. This verdict brings us a step closer, and the fact is, we still have work to do. We still must reform the system,” Harris said in remarks at the White House.
Harris also advocated for the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act aimed at preventing police misconduct. She said the Biden administration would continue to urge the Senate to pass this legislation.
“This bill would hold law enforcement accountable and help build trust between law enforcement and our communities,” she said about the bill she introduced last summer when she was a senator. “This bill is a part of George Floyd’s legacy.”
Harris addressed the long history of systemic racism in the country, and how the lives of Black men “must be valued.”
She continued, “Here’s the truth about racial injustice, it is not just a Black America problem or a people of color problem. It is a problem for every American.”
“We are all a part of George Floyd’s legacy and our job now is to honor it, and to honor him,” Harris said.
Watch the Vice President’s speech here:
Vice President Kamala Harris and President Biden are delivering remarks now from the White House on the verdict in Derek Chauvin’s trial in the death of George Floyd.
The former Minneapolis Police officer who kneeled on Floyd’s neck for over 9 minutes last year was found guilty Tuesday of all three charges against him in one of the most consequential trials of the Black Lives Matter era.
Chauvin, 45, was convicted on charges of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. The jury deliberated for more than 10 hours over two days in coming to their decision.
Philonise Floyd, the brother of George Floyd, said it was difficult to be in the courtroom during the trial and watch “my brother being executed day after day.”
“It was difficult just watching the videos over and over and over and over again. I watched my brother being executed day after day, modern day lynching,” he told CNN after the verdict was announced. “Sitting in that courtroom, I knew my Lord and savior was in there, and George was in there.”
He said that George always told him to never give up but “that day when the officer had his knee on his neck, George had no choice but to give up.”
When the verdict was about to be delivered, Floyd said he paced back and forth before he went into the courtroom.
“I have faith and I believe in God, so I was optimistic and I kept saying we will get justice, we’ll get it. Just sitting in there and listening to those words – guilty, guilty, and guilty on all counts – that was a moment that I will never be able to relive. I will always have inside of me. It’s just, being able to know that, it’s justice for African-American people, just people of color, period, in this world. This is monumental. This is historic. This is a pivotal moment in history,” he said.
George Floyd’s nephew called the guilty verdict a “pivotal moment for America.”
Speaking in Minneapolis following the announcement of the jury’s decision, Brandon Williams declared the trial’s verdict long overdue, and in the process outwardly hoped for systemic change.
“It’s something this country has needed for a long time now. Hopefully today is the start of that,” said Williams, a man whom attorney Ben Crump said was “like a son” to Floyd.
“We need change in this broken system. It was built to oppress us. It was built against us,” Williams said of American policing. “Oftentimes we see people who are supposed to protect and serve… they do the total opposite.”
Williams called himself optimistic ahead of the verdict, noting that historically even strong evidence doesn’t always guarantee a just result.
“All of the evidence, all of the witnesses, everything proved exactly what we saw in that video,” he said, adding that, “oftentimes this system fails us as Black men and women in America.”
Williams admitted that returning each day during the trial was emotionally challenging, as “this is the exact place where they took somebody from me that I love.”
However, he said, coming back on Wednesday offered some degree of closure and relief.
“This time it was easy. We came for one thing and one thing only. That was justice for George Floyd. And today that’s what we got,” Williams said.
Watch the moment:
Former President Bill Clinton said he believes the jury “made the right decision” in convicting former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin on all charges today.
“The jury made the right decision in convicting Derek Chauvin for murdering George Floyd,” Clinton said in a statement today. “His tragic death, and the evidence at the trial, made painfully clear that we must do much better in recruiting, training, and holding law enforcement accountable to the communities they serve. The failure to do so continues to plague America, as we have seen in recent days.”
“The color of a person’s skin still determines far too often how they will be treated in nearly every aspect of American life. While the verdict won’t bring George Floyd back, it can help us prevent more senseless deaths and hasten the day when we are all treated equally in matters of life, liberty, dignity, respect, and opportunity,” Clinton said.
Breonna Taylor’s mother, Tamika Palmer, on Tuesday afternoon reacted to the verdict in Derek Chauvin’s trial, saying, “Thank you God.”
Palmer also tweeted saying, “Today justice has been served but we are not [done] fighting for justice for all the victims and families for[sic] haven’t received theirs.”
“This isn’t over,” she added.
Palmer ended her tweet with hashtags of the names of her daughter, Ahmaud Arbery, Adam Toledo, Jacob Blake, Daunte Wright, and Sean Monterrosa.
Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis Police officer who kneeled on George Floyd’s neck for over 9 minutes last year, has just been found guilty of all three charges against him – second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
The jury deliberated for more than 10 hours in one of the most consequential trials of the Black Lives Matter era. We want to know your reaction to the verdict and what you think needs to happen next. Leave your comments in the box below and we may feature some in our upcoming reporting.
Philonise Floyd, George Floyd’s brother, choked back tears as he responded to the guilty verdict, saying his work fighting for justice had only just begun.
“Rev. Al [Sharpton] always told me, ‘we got to keep fighting,” said Floyd. “I’m going to put up a fight every day, because I’m not just fighting for George anymore. I’m fighting for everybody around this world.”
Philonise Floyd said he had received worldwide support for the cause with one unified message.
“They’re all saying the same thing, ‘we won’t be able to breathe until you’re able to breathe,’” he said. “‘Today, we are able to breathe again.’”
Watch the moment here:
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and his team of prosecutors thanked the Floyd family after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of murder and manslaughter in the death of George Floyd on Tuesday afternoon.
“Over the last year, the family of George Floyd had to relive again and again, the worst day of their lives, when they lost their brother, their father, their friend,” Ellison said. “I’m profoundly grateful to them for giving us the time we needed to prosecute this case. They have shown the world what grace and class and courage really look like.”
“Although a verdict alone cannot end their pain, I hope it’s another step on the long path toward healing for them,” the attorney general continued.
“I’m honored to have stood with the Floyd family, to have stood with the state of Minnesota as we as we go through this painful process together, and it’s been my privilege to practice with this incredible, incredible gifted trial team,” prosecutor Steve Schleicher said.
Fellow prosecutor Jerry Blackwell also echoed the words of the civil rights icon and Congressman John Lewis in his remarks to the media following Tuesday’s verdict.
“I want to first say thank you to all of the selfless servants that you see standing here and the many more that you do not see, who had the willingness, the courage, the passion, the intestinal fortitude to get into good trouble,” Blackwell said.
“No verdict can bring George Perry Floyd back to us, but this verdict does give a message to his family that he was somebody, that his life mattered, that all of our lives matter, and that’s important,” Blackwell continued. “And I also hope that this verdict for all of the rest of the collective, all of us, will help us further along the road toward a better humanity,” Blackwell added.
After a jury found former police officer Derek Chauvin guilty on all three charges for the murder of George Floyd, attorney Ben Crump took a moment to reflect upon the significance of the decision.
“We’re going to try to leave here today knowing that America is a better country,” said Crump, the Floyd family attorney. “America, let’s pause for a moment to proclaim this historical moment not just for the legacy of George Floyd, but for the legacy of America.”
Speaking from Minneapolis, Minnesota, Crump encouraged the nation to reflect upon the decision in a greater context.
“America, let’s frame this moment as a moment where we finally are getting close to living up to our Declaration of Independence,” said Crump, before channeling the nation’s famous document and offering a modern-day application.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equally, that they’re endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights, that amongst them are life, and liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” Crump said, before adding, “America, that means all of us. That means Black people. That means Hispanic people. That means Native people. That means Asian people. That means all of us, America.”
With the United States still reeling from a pattern of incidents pitting police officers against underserved communities, Crump offered a larger perspective, suggesting that the Chauvin verdict can become a step towards a more just nation.
“We frame this moment for all of us, not just for George Floyd. This is a victory for those who champion humanity over inhumanity, those who champion justice over injustice, those who champion morals over immorality. America, let’s lean into this moment,” he said.
Watch the moment here:
Terrence Floyd, one of George Floyd’s brother, said he’s grateful for the guilty verdict in the Derek Chauvin case, “we got the verdict we wanted.”
“My family is a family that will not back down from prayer. And I believe because of prayer, we got the verdict we wanted. We got on our knees. Some of us stood up, but we asked the right person, we asked the right one. We said, ‘God, we need justice, we need it now.’ And he answered. I’m just grateful,” Terrence Floyd said.
He continued, “I’m grateful that my grandmother, my mother, my aunts, they got to see this history made. I’m even grateful — my brother’s, he’s not here, and I’m grateful and I’m proud of him. I will salute him at every — every day of my life, I will salute him because he showed me how to be strong. He showed me how to be respectful. He showed me how to speak my mind. I’m going to miss him, but now I know he’s in history. What a day to be a Floyd, man.”
Watch the moment here:
L. Chris Stewart, an attorney for the George Floyd family, said “justice finally came,” but there is still change that needs to happen.
He said they felt “pure joy and pure shock, because days like this don’t happen,” after hearing news of the guilty verdict.
“This wasn’t one family’s case. This was the entire world’s case and justice finally came. But it shouldn’t have to be so hard to attain this level of justice in cases like this when we can see with our own eyes the only difference is the color of his skin. That’s the change we all want. That’s outrageous,” he added.
Stewart said when they heard the verdict, they all teared up, but “don’t confuse these tears thinking that they are sorrow.”
He said tears of sorrow are of those “are the tears of the victims that we’ve seen time and time again be shot in the back, choked over loose cigarettes or killed for no reason, and justice never comes. Those are the tears that someone will weep tomorrow when they are taken advantage of in an interaction with law enforcement.”
“Let this be a changing point in America for policing in a positive way and let’s unify,” Stewart added.
Watch the moment here:
Darnella Frazier, the teenager who filmed the bystander video of George Floyd’s death and testified in Derek Chauvin’s trial, expressed her relief following today’s guilty verdict.
“I just cried so hard…This last hour my heart was beating so fast, I was so anxious,” she said on Facebook.
“THANK YOU GOD THANK YOU THANK YOU… George Floyd we did it!!…justice has been served.”
Civil rights leader Al Sharpton lead a prayer today alongside George Floyd’s family and their attorneys, thanking God as well as prosecutors and the jury for delivering justice “in the midnight hours.”
Before offering the prayer of gratitude, Sharpton lead those present at the news conference in an answer and repeat call which has been common at Black Lives Matter protests across the nation, chanting, “say his name, George Floyd.”
“Dear God, we thank you for giving us the strength to stand together,” prayed Sharpton. “…Somehow you touch us in the midnight hours and teach us to hold on, and that if we would be faithful over a few things, you’d give us the victory over many.”
“We thank you because we know it was not any doing of ours, but your loving kindness and your tender mercy that made tonight possible,” he prayed.
Sharpton went to also thank all those who fought tirelessly to bring about the guilty verdict.
“Bless those that worked, that made this prosecution something they couldn’t deny,” he said. “Bless those policemen that got on the stand and testified against another policeman.”
“Bless the jury that listened to the evidence and didn’t listen to those that may criticize them for doing this,” he said. “Bless the prosecutor, Keith Ellison, and his staff that did their job, even though they didn’t know what the outcome would be.”
Watch the moment:
A senior administration official described the reaction inside the private dining room where President Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and senior staff were watching the verdict read live: “A collective exhale. From everyone.”
“Then the collective recognition that so much more work needs to be done. But overall just a sweeping sense of relief,” the official added.
Valerie Castile, the mother of Philando Castile who was killed by a Minnesota police officer nearly five years ago, said there was no doubt in her mind that Derek Chauvin would be convicted in George Floyd’s death on Tuesday.
Castile told CNN that the prosecution had presented enough evidence to secure a guilty verdict. She had also been praying for weeks.
“There was nothing indisputable from the beginning,” Castile said.
Castile said earlier this month that she had little faith in the criminal justice system and that watching the Chauvin trial was “re-traumatizing.”
She said defense attorneys had attempted to incriminate her son saying he had marijuana in his system the same way attorneys said Floyd died of a drug overdose. The police officer charged in Philando Castile’s death was ultimately acquitted in 2017.
Castile said the Chauvin conviction now gives the Twin Cities community a “glimmer of hope” when it comes to police brutality against Black people.
“If a person is found guilty then that would give the next person pause to be so aggressive in a manner that it causes great bodily harm or death,” Castile said. “It would give them pause to proceed so aggressively.”
Former President Barack Obama reacted to the guilty verdict in the Derek Chauvin case.
“Today, a jury did the right thing. But true justice requires much more,” Obama tweeted.
In a statement, Obama also noted:
“True justice requires that we come to terms with the fact that Black Americans are treated differently, every day. It requires us to recognize that millions of our friends, family and fellow citizens live in fear that their next encounter with law enforcement could be their last. And it requires us to do the sometimes thankless, often difficult, but always necessary work fo making the America we know more like the America we believe in.
“While today’s verdict may have been a necessary step on the road to progress, it was far from sufficient one. We cannot rest.”
The courtroom was silent as the verdict was read, pool reporters inside, including CNN’s Josh Campbell, noted.
Derek Chauvin appeared to be in a daze while waiting for the jury to arrive and was staring at the empty jury seating area, Campbell reported. He snapped out of it after a few seconds when his attorney, Eric Nelson, spoke with him.
At one point, Chauvin turned to look at Philonise Floyd, George Floyd’s brother, who was praying, the pool reporters noted.
Philonise Floyd waited for the verdict in the courtroom with his head bowed and hands clasped. He appeared to alternate between praying, looking up towards Chauvin, and looking down praying again.
As the first guilty verdict was read, his hands began shaking while clasped. They became shakier during the second verdict and during the third, his hands were shaking back and forth with his eyes closed as his head nodded up and down.
After the court concluded, Philonise was seen crying as he hugged all four prosecutors, Campbell observed. Prosecutor Steve Schleicher’s eyes were also red as he wiped away tears.
“I was just praying they would find him guilty. As an African American, we usually never get justice,” Philonise told Campbell after the verdict.
In court, the seat reserved for Chauvin’s family was occupied by a middle-aged white woman with long brown hair and glasses who declined to give her name to reporters.
When Chauvin was remanded into custody, the bailiff told him “Mr. Chauvin, please place your hands behind your back.”
He handcuffed the former Minneapolis police officer’s left hand, then his right, the pool reporters observed. The handcuffs were not double locked in the courtroom.
After reading the verdicts, Judge Peter Cahill confirmed with each of the jurors that the three guilty convictions were correct.
The foreperson, juror 19, signed each of the verdict slips. He is a white male in his 30s who works as an auditor, according to information shared during jury selection.
As the verdict was read, there was no noticeable emotional reaction from the jury, Campbell noted. Whereas during trial, they each had their own idiosyncrasies, they remained still and quiet staring at the judge until they were called upon by the judge.
“I have to thank you on behalf of the people of the state of Minnesota for not just jury service but heavy-duty jury service,” Cahill told the 12 jurors.
Prosecuting attorney Jerry Blackwell thanked his team of “selfless servants” that worked on the case. “They stepped into the light and they shined,” he said.
Blackwell said the verdict shows that George Floyd “was somebody, that his life mattered, that all of our lives matter.”
“Now, no verdict can bring George Perry Floyd back to us, but this verdict does give a message to his family that he was somebody, that his life mattered, that all of our lives matter. And that’s important,” he said.
He added, “I also hope that this verdict, for all of the rest of collective, all of us, will help us further along the road toward a better humanity.”
The nation’s largest police union said moments after Derek Chauvin’s verdict that “justice has worked as it should.”
The National Fraternal Order of Police, which represents the nation’s more than 350,000 police officers, called the trial “fair” and said “due process was served,” according to a statement released by the organization on Twitter.
“Our system of justice has worked as it should, with the prosecutors and defense presenting their evidence to the jury, which then deliberated and delivered a verdict,” the statement read. “The trial was fair and due process was served. We hope and expect that all of our fellow citizens will respect the rule of law and remain peaceful tonight and in the days to come.”
The President and vice president watched the Derek Chauvin verdict with staff in the private dining room.
Following the guilty verdict, President Biden spoke with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. The President, Vice President Kamala Harris, and first lady Jill Biden also spoke with Philonise Floyd from the Oval Office.
Floyd family attorney Ben Crump confirmed the news and thanked them for their support.
Watch for more:
From Jason Hoffman
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey commended the jury following the conviction of former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin.
Chauvin was found guilty on all three charges in the murder of George Floyd.
“George Floyd came to Minneapolis to better his life. But ultimately his life will have bettered our city,” Frey tweeted. “The jury joined in a shared conviction that has animated Minneapolis for the last 11 months. They refused to look away and affirmed he should still be here today.”
Read the mayor’s tweet:
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison praised the community members who recorded the video of former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin placing his knee on George Floyd’s neck.
“They stopped and they raised their voices because they knew what they were seeing was wrong. They didn’t need to be medical professions or experts in the use of force. They knew it was wrong, and they were right. These community members, this bouquet of humanity, did it again in this trial. They performed simple yet profound acts of courage,” Ellison said. “They told the truth, and they told the whole world the truth about what they saw.”
“What happened on that street was wrong. …. We owe them our gratitude for fulfilling their civic duty and for their courage in telling the truth,” he added. “To countless people in Minnesota and across the United States who join them in peacefully demanding justice for George Floyd, we say, all of us, thank you.”
Watch the moment:
After Derek Chauvin was found guilty of all three charges against him for the murder of George Floyd, Floyd’s girlfriend Courteney Ross told reporters outside the courthouse that she hadn’t doubted this would be the outcome reached.
“We’re finally starting to see. We walked around with eyes wide shut for a long time, so they’re starting to open today, and this is going to be the first in a future of change,” Ross added. “For me, it means that my friends and people that have also lost loved ones now have a chance to get their cases reopened.”
Ross said Floyd brought change: “He changed my world. He changed the world. He changed everybody.”
President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will deliver remarks “later this evening” on the Derek Chauvin verdict, the White House said Tuesday.
The statement Biden is preparing to deliver had been pre-written and updated, and will contain themes about healing and justice, an aide said.
Aides have been working on the language for a presidential statement over the course of the past week or so. There was different language prepared for various outcomes in the trial, though all versions included acknowledgement of the outpouring prompted by Floyd’s death.
Biden watched the verdict announcement from the West Wing.
The President made his view on the trial clear earlier today when answering CNN’s Kaitlan Collins’ question in the Oval Office, saying he was praying for the “right verdict” and suggesting he found the evidence presented by the prosecution “overwhelming.”
Following the guilty verdict in the Derek Chauvin case, members of Congress weighed in.
Here’s what they said:
California Rep. Maxine Waters: “Someone said it better than me: I’m not celebrating I’m relieved.” CNN caught up with members of the Congressional Black Caucus gathered around a laptop watching the verdict, and as the verdicts were read, the group cheered.
Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren: “George Floyd should be alive today.” When asked by CNN if this moment increases the chance police reform can get done in the Senate Warren replied, “we must root out racism in our criminal justice system, that is our first obligation.”
Utah Sen. Mitt Romney: He said in the wake of the jury’s decision he’s “pleased that the temperature will hopefully come down a bit.” He added, “I have trust in our justice system and the great institutions that have always formed the basis of our society.”
Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith: “Well the conviction of Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd is a moment of real accountability. And it’s a huge relief. But of course, we also know there’s so much work to be done to address the systemic inequity that still plagues us and I think about the millions of people who took to the streets to make their voices heard, and I think about all of the people who haven’t seen justice, because their civil rights or their lives were taken. And so there’s lots of work ahead but this is a moment where I believe that justice was served.”
South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott: The lone African-American Senate Republican says he is relieved at the outcome to the Chauvin verdict, saying “This is a monumental day in many ways, in my opinion.” He added, “I think our justice system is getting more just,” he said. “I’m thankful for the verdict and certainly thought it was murder… and believe that this reinforces the fact that while we all may need to grow our confidence in parts of the system. The truth of the matter is that this reinforces a commitment that we can have confidence that the justice system is becoming more just.”
In response to Derek Chauvin being found guilty of murder in the death of George Floyd, Amnesty International USA released a statement, saying “Chauvin being held accountable for killing George Floyd is the exception — not the rule.”
The organization called for “shrinking the size and scope of law enforcement in daily life,” and “demilitarizing law enforcement.”
“Of course, true justice for George Floyd would require him to still be alive. We saw former Officer Chauvin apply deadly force callously even after George Floyd was killed, ignoring pleas for him to stop. We can no longer tolerate the lack of accountability when it comes to the killing of Black and brown people,” said Kristina Roth, senior advocate for the organization’s Criminal Justice Programs. “Not only did Derek Chauvin deny George Floyd his human rights, he also showed utter disregard for George Floyd’s humanity.”
“We must acknowledge the racist roots of law enforcement in this country if we are to address the systemic failures of policing and bring about meaningful public safety for those that have been historically overpoliced. This must include shrinking the size and scope of law enforcement in daily life, eliminating qualified immunity that creates a barrier to redress for victims of unlawful policing, demilitarizing law enforcement, and enacting strict limits on the use of force altogether,” the statement continued.
Read the full statement here.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison called today’s guilty verdict in the Derek Chauvin case a first step toward justice.
“Since the investigation and prosecution of this case began last May, everyone involved has pursued one goal — justice. We pursued justice wherever it led. When I became the lead prosecutor for the case, I asked for time and patience to review the facts, gather evidence and prosecute for the murder of George Floyd to the fullest extent the law allowed. I want to thank the community for giving us that time and allowing us to do our work. That long, hard, painstaking work is culminated today,” Ellison said.
Watch the moment:
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said the Derek Chauvin “verdict is an important step forward for justice,” but there is still work left to do.
He called for a continued “march for justice” and said the only way the state will change is “through systemic reform.”
Read a portion of the statement he released after the verdict:
“No verdict can bring George back, and my heart is with his family as they continue to grieve his loss. Minnesota mourns with you, and we promise the pursuit of justice for George does not end today.
True justice for George only comes through real, systemic change to prevent this from happening again. And the tragic death of Daunte Wright this week serves as a heartbreaking reminder that we still have so much more work to do to get there.”
Too many Black people have lost—and continue to lose—their lives at the hands of law enforcement in our state
Our communities of color cannot go on like this. Our police officers cannot go on like this. Our state simply cannot go on like this. And the only way it will change is through systemic reform.
We must rebuild, restore, and reimagine the relationship between law enforcement and the communities they serve. We must tackle racial inequities in every corner of society — from health to home ownership to education. We must come together around our common humanity.
Let us continue on this march towards justice.”
A woman who learned of Derek Chauvin’s guilty verdict standing near the Cups Food store, where George Floyd was killed, says the moment was bittersweet for her. She told CNN’s Omar Jimenez that she was a friend of Sandra Bland.
“My feeling was, it’s very bittersweet because his family, much like a good friend of mine, Sandy Bland, Sandy as I knew her, will never see him again, will never touch him, will never hug him and his daughter will grow up without a father. They will never see him again and he’s still six feet under so justice in my opinion will never be served but it is very bittersweet. It’s at least something. We’re getting somewhere in this country. We’re seeing some progress,” she said.
Omar Jimenez speaks to Sandra Bland’s friend:
The Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation (BLMGNF) released a statement in reaction to the guilty verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial.
“We hope this guilty verdict begins to show that white supremacy will not win. White supremacy has no place in democracy, especially one that is supposed to guarantee us our freedom to live,” the statement said.
“But let us also be clear that this still does not bring our loved ones back. We do not get George Floyd back. His daughter and family have to grow up without him. His family continues his legacy through the George Floyd Memorial Foundation,” the statement added.
Read the full statement below:
“In these types of trials, the criminal justice system has historically failed Black families, further permeating and validating white supremacy within institutions. Today, however, there is a small incremental step toward accountability.
We hope this guilty verdict begins to show that white supremacy will not win. White supremacy has no place in democracy, especially one that is supposed to guarantee us our freedom to live.
But let us also be clear that this still does not bring our loved ones back. We do not get George Floyd back. His daughter and family have to grow up without him. His family continues his legacy through the George Floyd Memorial Foundation.
And Black Lives Matter will continue to call for abolition because we ultimately believe abolition will ensure the freedom of Black people.
BLMGNF will continue to work toward abolition and Black liberation – one where Black people across the diaspora thrive, experience joy, and are no longer defined by their struggles. We will continue to heal the past, re-imagine the present, and invest in the future of Black lives.”
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) said that while “justice landed” Derek Chauvin in jail, “the fight for police accountability and respect for Black lives is far from over.”
Read a portion of their statement following the verdict:
“While justice landed Derek Chauvin behind bars for murdering George Floyd, no amount of justice will bring Gianna’s father back.
The same way a reasonable police officer would never suffocate an unarmed man to death, a reasonable justice system would recognize its roots in white supremacy and end qualified immunity.
Police are here to protect, not lynch.
We will not rest until all in our community have the right to breathe. The chapter on Derrick Chauvin may be closed, but the fight for police accountability and respect for Black lives is far from over.”
Lawmakers from across the country reacted to the guilty verdict in the Derek Chauvin case.
Chauvin was found guilty in all three charges.
Watch members of the Congressional Black Caucus reaction:
The jury found former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin guilty of all three charges in the murder of George Floyd.
Crowds outside the Minneapolis courtroom and at the location where Floyd was killed chanted “justice” and “Black lives matter” after hearing the verdict.
Watch the moment:
After Judge Peter Cahill read and confirmed the verdict with the jury, he announced technical next steps, including scheduling sentencing in eight weeks time.
Cahill said the court would look at written arguments from Derek Chauvin “within one week” and issue factual findings on it. Then they will order a pre-sentencing investigation report, “returnable in four weeks.” That will be followed by a briefing on the pre-sentencing investigation report six weeks from now and “eight weeks from now we will have sentencing.”
The 12 jurors found Chauvin guilty of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in George Floyd’s death in May 2020.
CNN’s Van Jones said the guilty verdict today marks the beginning of the road to justice for many Americans, not the end.
“This is the beginning of something, this is not the ending,” Jones continued, calling out Congress and the federal government for inaction on racial justice.
“Sometimes when we fight, we lose, but sometimes when we fight, we won,” he added. “The people won.”
Watch the moment:
After reading the jury’s verdicts finding Derek Chauvin guilty on all counts, Judge Peter Cahill thanked the jurors for what he called “heavy duty” service in the case.
“I have to thank you on behalf of the people of the state of Minnesota, for not only jury service, but heavy duty jury service,” he said.
The jury was then sent out of the courtroom.
Attorney Ben Crump and George Floyd’s family released a statement following the conviction of Derek Chauvin, saying, “today’s verdict goes far beyond this city and has significant implications for the country and even the world.”
Read the full statement:
“Painfully earned justice has arrived for George Floyd’s family and the community here in Minneapolis, but today’s verdict goes far beyond this city and has significant implications for the country and even the world. Justice for Black America is justice for all of America. 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. We thank Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and his team for their fierce dedication to justice for George. But it does not end here. We have not forgotten that the other three officers who played their own roles in the death of George Floyd must still be held accountable for their actions, as well.”
The prosecution moved to have Derek Chauvin’s bail revoked. Judge Peter Cahill granted the motion.
Chauvin was handcuffed in the courtroom and taken into custody by the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office.
Cahill said “eight weeks from now we will have sentencing.”
Watch the moment Chauvin leaves in handcuffs:
Former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin has been convicted on all charges by a jury in the Hennepin County court.
The 12 jurors found him guilty of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in George Floyd’s death in May 2020.
The maximum sentence for second-degree unintentional murder is imprisonment of not more than 40 years. The maximum sentence for third-degree murder is imprisonment of not more than 25 years. The maximum sentence for second-degree manslaughter is 10 years and/or $20,000.
Watch the judge read the verdict:
Derek Chauvin has been found guilty of second-degree unintentional murder.
He is also charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
We’re still waiting to hear the verdicts on the other charges.
The jury’s verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin is being read in court.
Chauvin is charged with second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the death of George Floyd.
Chauvin has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Shortly after word went out that the jury had reached a verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial, law enforcement officials began shutting a newly-installed gate at Minneapolis Police Headquarters.
A city crew is currently installing additional concrete barriers near the police headquarters as well.
Windows at nearby downtown Minneapolis businesses have also been boarded up Tuesday afternoon.
President Biden will be watching the verdict from the West Wing, after abruptly rescheduling planned remarks for the American Jobs Plan, a White House official said.
The President made his view clear earlier today when answering CNN’s Kaitlan Collins’ question, but the White House official says they are putting a plan into motion to have him speak following the verdict. It will not be in the immediate minutes afterward — probably after he speaks to the family, although that’s unclear.
“You will hear from the President as soon as it’s appropriate,” a White House official said.
Jurors in the Derek Chauvin trial concluded their deliberations shortly after 3 p.m. ET (2 p.m. local time), Spenser Bickett, a spokesperson for the Hennepin County Court tells CNN.
In total, jurors deliberated for more than 10 hours over two days to reach the verdict.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will deliver a public statement to “Minnesotans and the Nation following the announcement of the verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial,” according to a statement from his office.
Walz will speak at around 5:30 p.m. local time, or 6:30 p.m. ET, his office said.
George Floyd’s brother, Philonise Floyd, told CNN that he will be in court for the reading of the verdict.
Philonise Floyd told CNN that he hasn’t been able to sleep “through much of this.”
He said maybe this verdict will “finally help me get some sleep.”
As Minneapolis and the country awaits the verdict, CNN’s Omar Jimenez reported near the scene where George Floyd died on May 25, 2020.
“As we’ve been talking to people throughout here, there has been a combination of emotions. Some tenseness, some nervousness and some even fearful of what the verdict might bring, but at the end of the day one woman we spoke to said that no matter what happens, they are still going to be in the streets,” Jimenez said of the mood is in the area right now.
“They are still going to remain in solidarity with each other because they believe that this moment is not just about George Floyd. It was sparked by him, but it means so much more, and it has the potential to send reverberations for generations to come,” he continued.
The intersection across Cup Foods is now known as “George Floyd Square,” and flowers, messages and photos of other Black Americans killed by police have been placed in the square, including images of Breonna Taylor and Philando Castile.
“People that have come here and visited here during the course of today feel that the verdict comes on the shoulders of these Black bodies that are now no longer here with us,” Jimenez said.
“This moment means so much to the people here, and we can only imagine that once that comes down, no matter what it is, people are going to be in the streets either in solidarity or in anger, because as one activist put it to me earlier, when you keep getting pushed and you keep getting pushed, eventually you push back. They are hoping that at least for just a little bit, they don’t have to push anymore,” he said.
See Minneapolis while country waits for Chauvin verdict:
Derek Chauvin has arrived at the Hennepin County Government Center with his attorney Eric Nelson, according to a pool report.
As the nation awaits the verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin, CNN’s Van Jones said many Americans feel their very humanity is on trial.
“People keep saying the system is on trial,” said Jones shortly after learning that the jury had reached a verdict. “It’s not just the system. They feel their humanity is on trial. Can this system ever truly respect Black life?”
“People want to know… does my life matter as a young person in this country?” Jones continued.
“People are literally afraid to hope,” he said. “They are holding their breath and preparing for another body blow. You have young people watching right now… 50 years from now they will remember today. This is how important this is to a whole generation of young Americans.”
Watch the moment:
CNN’s Sara Sidner said she informed Philonise Floyd, George Floyd’s brother, that the jury had reached a verdict. Sidner said he was not aware until she asked him.
Sidner reported that he reacted with “calm.”
She said he told her, “For the rest of the country, this will be an historic decision in this case. But for the family, this is a personal, a personal issue. An issue that is deeply, deeply, deeply personal for every single member of the Floyd family.”
Philonise Floyd also told Sidner that he believes that the case is historic for the country and that “no matter what happens with this jury, that it will be historic.”
“He also said something else about the fact that this case even came into the court, was even charged in the first place. He said, this is what should be happening and should have been happening in cases like theirs, with other situations between police and particularly police and African Americans in this country. He said, you know, in his mind, when the police do something incorrect, when the police take a life… In his mind, then they should be treated like everyone else in this country, every other citizen,” Sidner said about her conversation with Philonise Floyd regarding the verdict.
Hear more from CNN’s Sara Sidner:
A verdict has been reached in Derek Chauvin’s trial in the death of George Floyd, according to a notice posted by the court on the Hennepin County Court’s website.
The jurors’ decision will be read in open court between 4:30 and 5 p.m. ET, the court said.
The jury of five men and seven women deliberated for four hours Monday afternoon and resumed deliberating Tuesday morning, according to the court. They are being sequestered from the public during deliberations.
Chauvin, 45, has pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
Each of the three charges requires prosecutors to prove that Chauvin’s actions were not objectively reasonable and that they were a substantial cause of Floyd’s death. But the charges differ primarily in how they interpret his intent and mindset during his restraint of Floyd.
Some of the terms in these charges have specific definitions. Others have been left up to the jury to interpret.
As in any criminal case, the prosecution has the burden of proof and must prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt. Any verdict the jury reaches must be unanimous.
Remember: The charges are to be considered separate, so he can be convicted of all, some or none of them. If convicted, Chauvin could face up to 40 years in prison for second-degree murder, up to 25 years for third-degree murder, and up to 10 years for second-degree manslaughter.
The actual sentences would likely be much lower, though, because Chauvin has no prior convictions. Minnesota’s sentencing guidelines recommend about 12.5 years in prison for each murder charge and about four years for the manslaughter charge. The judge would ultimately decide the exact length and whether those would be served at the same time or back-to-back.
Read more about the charges against Chauvin here.
A verdict has been reached in the trial of former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin, according to a notice posted on the Hennepin County Court’s website.
“A verdict has been reached and will be read between 3:30-4:00 p.m. Tuesday, April 20” (4:30-5:00 p.m. ET), according to the notice.
Jurors deliberated for four hours on Monday and resumed deliberating this morning at 8 a.m. CT (9 a.m. ET). The court did not specify in the notice when jurors stopped deliberating today.
Chauvin is charged with second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in George Floyd’s death on May 25, 2020. He has pleaded not guilty.
President Biden was not looking to influence the Derek Chauvin trial with his comments on the expected verdict Tuesday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said, noting he felt it was appropriate to weigh in on the trial at this moment since the jury is sequestered.
Biden told reporters earlier in the Oval Office in response to a question from CNN’s Kaitlan Collins that he is “praying that the verdict is the right verdict, which is I think it’s overwhelming in my view. I wouldn’t say that unless the jury was sequestered now, not hear me say that.”
Psaki would not specify what Biden viewed as “overwhelming” in the Chauvin trial.
“As he also noted, the jury is sequestered which is why he spoke to this, but I would expect he will weigh in more – further once there is a verdict and I’m not going to provide additional analysis on what he meant,” Psaki said at Tuesday’s White House press briefing.
Asked if there is concern that the President’s words could add to potential unrest in Minneapolis and around the country if the “right verdict” is not reached, Psaki said that regardless of the outcome, Biden has consistently called for peace.
“Our focus, as we’re working with state and local authorities, is on providing the space for peaceful protest and that will be consistent regardless of what the outcome of this, of the verdict is,” she said.
Psaki said Biden is “not looking to influence” the case, which is why he only spoke out when the jury is sequestered, but the President “has been touched on the impact on the family, hence he called the family yesterday and had that discussion.” She reiterated that much of the conversation focused on the loss the Floyd family is dealing with, something the President knows first-hand.
Psaki also said she doesn’t think Biden felt as if he was “weighing in on the verdict,” in his comments, but rather conveying compassion towards the family.
The Dallas Police Department said they are preparing for possible demonstrations after a verdict is reached in Derek Chauvin’s trial.
There currently aren’t any credible threats to the city or the North Texas region, but police are monitoring events for any potential threats, they said in a statement.
“The Department will respect individuals expressing their first amendment rights, and our goal is for a peaceful and safe assembly for all individuals exercising their constitutional rights,” police said.
Jurors have been deliberating the Chauvin case for more than eight hours now. It’s not clear exactly when they could reach a verdict.
The jury is in day two of deliberations in the trial of ex-Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd. Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter.
CNN correspondent Sara Sidner was live from Minneapolis answering viewers’ questions:
The jury in the Derek Chauvin trial have now been deliberating for eight hours, and they’re going into their ninth hour.
Jurors began deliberating this morning at 8 a.m. CT (9 a.m. ET), according to the Hennepin County Court. They deliberated for another four hours on Monday.
The jury is sequestered and is staying in a hotel at night until they reach a verdict.
President Biden said Tuesday that he is praying for the right verdict in the trial if ex-Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin, noting that the evidence, in his view, is “overwhelming.”
The remarks, made in the Oval Office during a meeting with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, mark a rare moment by the President of weighing in by strongly suggesting what he thinks the outcome of the trial should be before the jury has reached a verdict.
Biden, who also elaborated on his Monday conversation with the family of George Floyd, said he was only making the comments because the jury is sequestered.
“They’re a good family, and they’re calling for peace and tranquility, no matter what that verdict is. I’m praying that the verdict is the right verdict, which is, I think it’s overwhelming in my view. I wouldn’t say that unless the jury was sequestered now, not hear me say that,” he told reporters in the Oval Office in response to a question from CNN’s Kaitlan Collins.
Biden echoed remarks from Floyd’s brother, Philonise Floyd, that they had a private conversation Tuesday discussing loss.
“I’ve come to know George’s family, not just in passing. I’ve spent time with them, I’ve spent time with his little daughter Gianna — you should see this beautiful child — and his brother, both brothers, as a matter of fact. So I can only imagine the pressure and anxiety that they’re feeling. And so I waited until the jury was sequestered, and then I called,” he said.
The jury has started day two of deliberations in the trial of Chauvin, who is charged with second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the death of Floyd.
As CNN has previously reported, the White House is closely monitoring developments and making contingency plans in case of unrest. Aides are considering or drafting statements for Biden to deliver, either in person or in writing, once a verdict is delivered.
Biden is trying to strike a balance between acknowledging racial inequity while also maintaining calm, wanting neither to replicate the heavily militarized response to protests under Trump nor to appear absent in the face of violence or unrest directed at law enforcement, all while acknowledging the systemic racism that pervades the system.
Watch:
George Floyd’s aunt and cousin said they are hoping for a guilty verdict as the jury continues its deliberations in the trial of former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin.
“We need this verdict. Minnesota needs this verdict to be guilty. America needs it. The world needs it. We need to get it right this time. Because there’s been too many times it has gotten wrong,” Angela Harrelson, Floyd’s aunt, said to CNN’s Kate Bolduan.
Harrelson, along with Floyd’s cousin Paris Stevens, said the family is on “pins and needles” awaiting the verdict.
Harrelson said the family has also discussed a possible not-guilty verdict.
“In the past, when Black and brown people have been in this same situation, they didn’t have a choice but to prepare with an acquittal,” Harrelson said. “… And if this is an acquittal, we’ll be devastated. But we know our fight has to be much harder now. And we’re going to continue to go on and fight as a family.”
Stevens said anyone planning for possible protests needs to be peaceful.
“Use your voice, but remember the message,” Harrelson added. “… This is about not just racism; it’s about equality. We need to try to help be a participant to help change this world to [be a] better place for future generations, so that [Floyd’s] death is not in vain. Because we cannot let his death be his last word.”
Watch:
The defense presented its witness and expert testimony last week in the trial of former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin.
The defense’s turn before the jury came last Tuesday when the prosecution rested after calling 38 witnesses over 11 days. Jurors heard testimony from seven witnesses for the defense.
Here are highlights from the final week of testimony:
The defense’s three-prong legal strategy: The defense presented seven witnesses to bolster its three-prong strategy for clearing the former officer of culpability: Floyd died from drug and health problems; Chauvin’s use of force was ugly but appropriate; and a hostile crowd of bystanders distracted the former officer.
At the heart of defense attorney Eric Nelson’s case is the argument that medical reasons, not Chauvin’s actions, caused Floyd’s death that evening. In other words, Floyd’s use of methamphetamine and fentanyl, his initial resistance to officers and preexisting heart problems all conspired to kill him.
Hennepin County Medical Examiner Dr. Andrew Baker, who performed Floyd’s autopsy last May, had previously testified for the prosecution that Floyd’s death was a “homicide.” The cause of death was cardiopulmonary arrest — Floyd’s heart and lungs stopped. That occurred during “law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression,” the doctor testified.
Four other medical experts offered similar testimony for the state: Floyd died from cardiopulmonary arrest caused by low oxygen levels from prone restraint and positional asphyxia. A cardiologist testified that Floyd’s heart showed no evidence of injury.
Expert testified that Chauvin’s actions were justified: Barry Brodd, a former police officer and use-of-force expert called by the defense on Tuesday, testified that Chauvin was justified in kneeling on Floyd for more than nine minutes and did not use deadly force.
Brodd’s testimony was at odds with the prosecution’s policing experts and Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo, who said Chauvin’s actions were “in no way, shape or form” within department policy, training, ethics or values.
Pulmonologist takes the stand a second time: Dr. Martin Tobin, a pulmonologist who testified last week, returned to the stand Thursday for the prosecution in a short rebuttal against a defense medical expert. The state sought to counter the testimony of a forensic pathologist who told the jury Wednesday that Floyd’s cause of death was “undetermined.” Floyd’s underlying heart issues were the main causes, the pathologist said.
Dr. David Fowler, who retired as Maryland’s chief medical examiner at the end of 2019, introduced a novel defense argument: Carbon monoxide from the squad car’s exhaust may have contributed to Floyd’s death. Fowler admitted no data or test results could back up his claim. Tobin, in a short rebuttal, told the jury the carbon monoxide theory is proven wrong by a different blood test that showed Floyd’s blood oxygen saturation was 98%. That meant his carbon monoxide level could at most be 2% — within the normal range.
Judge Peter Cahill read instructions to the jurors yesterday before they left the courtroom to begin their deliberations. The jury is sequestered and is staying in a hotel at night until they reach a verdict.
“As jurors, you are being asked to make an important decision in this case,” the judge said yesterday.
He outlined four key things the jury will need to do as they deliberate:
The judge noted that “in order for you to return a verdict, whether guilty or not, each juror must agree with that verdict. Your verdict must be unanimous. You should discuss this case with one another and deliberate with a view towards reaching an agreement.”
The judge also said that the jurors would select one person to be a foreperson and lead the deliberations.
“The law demands that you make a fair decision based solely on the evidence, your individual evaluation of that evidence, your reason and common sense and these instructions,” he told the jury.
With jury deliberations in Derek Chauvin’s trial in the death of George Floyd underway, it’s not just Minneapolis preparing for protests and possible civil unrest — cities around the US are on alert, too.
Here’s how some of the biggest cities are preparing:
Read more about Minneapolis and other cities are preparing here.
The jury in the trial of former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin have begun the second day of deliberations, according to the Hennepin County Court.
Yesterday, the prosecution and defense delivered closing arguments. The prosecuting attorney said Chauvin kneeled on George Floyd’s neck and back for 9 minutes and 29 seconds because of his pride and his ego in the face of concerned bystanders.
In response, defense attorney Eric Nelson said Chauvin acted as a “reasonable officer” would in that situation and said there was no evidence he intentionally or purposefully used force that was unlawful. Prosecuting attorney Jerry Blackwell then delivered a rebuttal rejecting the defense’s claim that Floyd died because of an enlarged heart.
If you missed the closing arguments, here’s a recap of what both sides said:
Prosecution: In his closing argument, prosecuting attorney Steve Schleicher spoke for an hour and 43 minutes as he sought to prove that Chauvin used excessive and unreasonable force and caused Floyd’s death.
He contrasted Chauvin’s “ego-based pride” with the proper feelings of pride in wearing a police badge and praised policing as a noble profession. He insisted the state was prosecuting Chauvin individually — not policing in general.
“This is not an anti-police prosecution; it is a pro-police prosecution,” he said. “There is nothing worse for good police than bad police.”
Schleicher’s closing argument relied on a series of video clips that showed Chauvin’s actions that day, linking them explicitly to the language of each charge.
“George Floyd’s final words on May 25, 2020, were, ‘Please, I can’t breathe,’ and he said those words to Derek Chauvin,” Schleicher told the jurors. “All that was required was a little compassion, and none was shown on that day.”
Schleicher told jurors to reject defense theories and look at what they know happened.
Defense: Defense attorney Eric Nelson’s case to acquit Chauvin has been to argue that his use of force was appropriate, that he was distracted by the crowd of hostile bystanders and that Floyd died due to fentanyl and methamphetamine use, his resistance of officers and his underlying health issues.
He said the prosecution’s focus on 9 minutes and 29 seconds, rather than Floyd’s active resistance in the minutes earlier, was inappropriate.
“It’s not the proper analysis because the 9 minutes and 29 seconds ignores the previous 16 minutes and 59 seconds. It completely disregards it,” he said. “Human behavior is unpredictable, and nobody knows it better than a police officer.”
Nelson argued Chauvin had no intent to use unlawful force and that he followed his training. He also highlighted Floyd’s use of fentanyl and methamphetamine and his heart issues, and he expressed incredulity that the prosecution’s doctors dismissed those as a cause in his death.
He spoke for about two and a half hours before Judge Cahill forced him to pause so that the jury could have lunch. After the break, Nelson spoke for about 15 minutes more.
Read more about yesterday’s closing arguments here.
Jurors began deliberating today at 8 a.m. CT (9 a.m. ET), according to the Hennepin County Court.
The jury deliberated for four hours on Monday.
With the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin now in deliberations, members of the Minnesota National Guard are deployed in the Twin Cities to protect people, property and the First Amendment right of protesters, a National Guard spokesperson tells CNN.
“The MN National Guard’s mission is to protect people, prevent property destruction, and preserving first amendment rights,” Lt. Col. Scott Hanks told CNN.
“The Guard will be assigned roles by the Minneapolis Police Department in areas throughout the city to deter acts of violence and free up law enforcement to perform their role where it is needed most. Additionally, we will be ensuring the cities EMS and Fire departments are able to safely get to and conduct their life saving missions throughout the city. This city, these communities are where we live and work, we want to keep them safe,” he continued.
Asked if the National Guard was allowed to make arrests, the spokesperson said that their mission places them together or in close proximity with law enforcement at all times, and while operating “under [law enforcement] direction and authority, the [National Guard] has limited ability to detain,” Lt. Col. Hanks said.
Hanks added that the National Guard “has not issued and will not use any riot control agents, nor less than lethal munitions. Those capabilities reside with law enforcement.”
As CNN has reported, with the Chauvin trial underway in Minneapolis and consecutive nights of unrest on the streets of nearby Brooklyn Center following the fatal police shooting of Daunte Wright, more than 3,000 Minnesota National Guard members have now been activated in the Twin Cities area.
The jury in Derek Chauvin’s trial heard from 45 witnesses and were shown bystander and police footage of George Floyd’s final moments.
Prosecutors called 38 witnesses to testify, including police use-of-force experts who criticized Chauvin and medical experts who explained how Floyd died. The defense called seven witnesses of its own — but not Chauvin himself, as he invoked his Fifth Amendment right not to testify.
The prosecution and defense presented closing arguments yesterday, and the jury will begin day two of deliberations today. The jurors will remain sequestered for deliberations and will stay in a hotel at night.
Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill dismissed the two alternate jurors yesterday.
Fourteen jurors heard evidence in the case for nearly three weeks, but only 12 jurors are needed to decide the case. The last two jurors selected, number 96, a white woman in her 50s and number 118, a white woman in her 20s, were excused by the court.
While the jurors are unnamed and not seen on camera, we do know basic details about them:
If convicted, Chauvin could face up to 40 years in prison for second-degree murder, up to 25 years for third-degree murder, and up to 10 years for second-degree manslaughter. The charges are to be considered separate, so Chauvin could be convicted of all, some or none of them.
What was going through Derek Chauvin’s mind when he kneeled on a handcuffed, prone George Floyd for nine minutes and 29 seconds last May?
That key question is at the heart of the three charges against the former Minneapolis Police officer and will be top of mind for jurors when their deliberations begin. To render a verdict, they’ll also have to interpret Minneapolis Police policies, Floyd’s cause of death, and the specific language of the law.
Chauvin, 45, has pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
Each of the three charges requires prosecutors to prove that Chauvin’s actions were not objectively reasonable and that they were a substantial cause of Floyd’s death. But the charges differ primarily in how they interpret his intent and mindset during his restraint of Floyd.
Some of the terms in these charges have specific definitions. Others will be left up to the jury to interpret.
As in any criminal case, the prosecution has the burden of proof and must prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt. Any verdict the jury reaches must be unanimous.
Remember: The charges are to be considered separate, so he can be convicted of all, some or none of them. If convicted, Chauvin could face up to 40 years in prison for second-degree murder, up to 25 years for third-degree murder, and up to 10 years for second-degree manslaughter.
The actual sentences would likely be much lower, though, because Chauvin has no prior convictions. Minnesota’s sentencing guidelines recommend about 12.5 years in prison for each murder charge and about four years for the manslaughter charge. The judge would ultimately decide the exact length and whether those would be served at the same time or back-to-back.
Read more about the charges against Chauvin here.
President Biden spoke with Philonise Floyd, the brother of George Floyd, on Monday, delivering well wishes as the family and nation awaits a verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin.
“He was just calling. He knows how it is to lose a family member. And he knows that the process of what we’re going through so he was just letting us know that he was praying for us, and hoping that everything would come out to be okay,” Floyd told NBC’s Today Show on Tuesday morning.
The call comes as the White House has closely monitored the trial. Aides are considering or drafting statements for Biden to deliver, either in person or in writing, once a verdict is delivered.
Biden is trying to strike a balance between acknowledging racial inequity while also maintaining calm, wanting neither to replicate the heavily militarized response to protests under Trump nor to appear absent in the face of violence or unrest directed at law enforcement, all while acknowledging the systemic racism that pervades the system.
