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The US President has welcomed a Minneapolis jury’s guilty verdict for Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd.
The former police officer was found guilty on all three charges and now faces up to 40 years behind bars.
Joe Biden said in a speech to the nation the trial has been tough for the Floyd family as well as black people all across the country.
The leader said the case unveiled the ‘the pain [and] the exhaustion that black Americans experience every single day’ and it also ‘ripped the blinders off for the whole world to see the systemic racism’.
Biden said: “Let’s also be clear, such a verdict is also much too rare.
“For so many people, it seems like it took a unique and extraordinary convergence of factors, a brave young woman with a smartphone camera, a crowd that was traumatised, traumatised witnesses, a murder that lasts almost 10 minutes in broad daylight for ultimately the whole world to see.
“Officers standing up and testifying against a fellow officer instead of just closing ranks, which should be commended.
“A jury who heard the evidence, carried out their civic duty in the midst of an extraordinary moment, under extraordinary pressure.
“For so many, it feels like it took all of that for the judicial system to deliver just basic accountability.
“No-one should be above the law and today’s verdict sends that message but it’s not enough. We can’t stop here.”
Vice President Kamala Harris echoed those sentiments and hopes the verdict will set a precedent for the future.
“It is not just a black America problem or a people of colour problem. It is a problem for every American,” she said.
“It is keeping us from fulfilling the promise of liberty and justice for all. It is holding our nation back from realising our full potential.
“We are all a part of George Floyd’s legacy and our job now is to honour it and to honour him.”
Chauvin had his bail revoked and has been remanded in custody until his sentencing hearing in eight weeks, which will determine how long he will stay behind bars.
The maximum sentence for second-degree unintentional murder is ‘imprisonment of not more than 40 years’, while the maximum sentence for third-degree murder is ‘imprisonment of not more than 25 years’.
The maximum sentence for second-degree manslaughter, meanwhile, is 10 years and/or $20,000 (£14,000).The murder case against Chauvin drew to a close at Hennepin County Court this afternoon after going to jury.
Credit: PA
