Former police officer Derek Chauvin has been jailed for 22-and-a-half years for murdering George Floyd in Minneapolis in May 2020.
In court he told his victim’s family he wanted to send them his “condolences,” adding: “There’s going to be some other information in the future that would be of interest and I hope things will give you some peace of mind”.
He did not elaborate on what he meant as “I’m not able to give a full statement at this time” and did not apologise for murdering African-American George Floyd, 48, who he killed after kneeling on his neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds.
The murder provoked worldwide protests against police brutality and racism.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said the sentence was “one of the longest a former police officer has ever received” for deadly force.
Judge Peter Cahill told the Hennepin County Courthouse the case had been painful for the community and the country, but above all, for Mr Floyd’s family.
“What the sentence is not based on is emotion, or sympathy, but at the same time, I want to acknowledge the deep and tremendous pain that all the families are feeling, especially the Floyd family,” he said.
Chauvin’s mother Carolyn Pawlenty insisted he was a “good man” and added: “I have always believed in your innocence and I will never waver from that”.
George Floyd
Mr Floyd’s brother Terrence Floyd had demanded a 40 year sentence, the maximum available and asked Chauvin: “Why? What were you thinking? What was going through your head when you had your knee on my brother’s neck?”
