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As it happenedended

Derek Chauvin news: Floyd killer in solitary as police defend Nicholas Reardon shooting Ma’Khia Bryant

Follow latest updates from Minneapolis

James Crump,Justin Vallejo,Graeme Massie,Kate Ng
Wednesday 21 April 2021 19:06 EDT
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Derek Chauvin found guilty on all charges

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Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin is expected to appeal his conviction after being found guilty on all charges in the murder of George Floyd.

The jury found Chauvin was:

  • Guilty of second-degree unintentional murder
  • Guilty of third-degree murder
  • Guilty of second-degree manslaughter

Joe Biden said the conviction of Chauvin in the killing of Mr Floyd could be “a giant step forward” for the nation in the fight against systemic racism. But he declared that “it’s not enough.”

Chauvin remains in the maximum security prison there and is currently under “administrative segregation”, otherwise known as solitary confinement, for his safety, a spokesperson for the Minnesota Department of Corrections told CNN.

On Wednesday, US Attorney General Merrick Garland launched a sweeping investigation into policing practices in Minneapolis, which “will assess whether the Minneapolis Police Department engages in a pattern or practice of using excessive force, including during protests”.

Sentencing was scheduled for 16 June, exactly eight weeks from today.

Read More:

Read The Independent’s updates and analysis below.

Candace Owens tells Tucker Carlson that Chauvin verdict was ‘mob justice’

Ms Owens appeared on Carlson’s Fox News show and declared that “no person can say this was a fair trial.”

Graeme Massie21 April 2021 03:02

‘The world is watching’: The fight for Minneapolis police reform after Derek Chauvin’s murder conviction

In a Minnesota court on Tuesday, Derek Chauvin, a white former Minneapolis police officer, was convicted of murdering George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, and could face up to 40 years in prison. But the long struggle for racial justice in Minneapolis and the country at large is nowhere close to finished, according to community residents, leaders, and activists.

Josh Marcus has more.

What the Derek Chauvin verdict means for Minneapolis

Derek Chauvin may have been found guilty of murder, but the people of Minneapolis say true justice is much bigger than one court decision

Graeme Massie21 April 2021 03:31

Black lawmakers revive calls for justice for victims of police violence after Chauvin verdict

Members of theCongressional Black Caucus revived calls for Congress to pass a sweeping police reform legislation backed by the White House following Derek Chauvin’s guilty verdicts for the killing of George Floyd.

“This is just the first step,” said Caucus chair Joyce Beatty, surrounded by lawmakers at the Capitol on Tuesday.

Alex Woodward has the story.

Black lawmakers revive calls for justice for victims of police violence after Chauvin verdict

Cori Bush says: ‘This was accountability but it was not justice. Justice for us is saving lives’

Graeme Massie21 April 2021 04:03

‘I just cried so hard’: Teen who filmed George Floyd arrest celebrates verdict

Darnella Frazier, the teenager who captured George Floyd’s last moments in footage that served as one of the most compelling pieces of evidence in his murder trial, celebrated Tuesday’s verdict and said she broke down hearing the jury’s decision.

“I just cried so hard,” she said in a Facebook post after the verdict. “This last hour my heart was beating so fast, I was so anxious, anxiety bussing through the roof.”

The 17-year-old, who also testified during the trial, said: “George Floyd we did it!! justice has been served.”

Teen who filmed George Floyd arrest celebrates verdict, shares guilt she couldn’t save him

Darnella Frazier receives widespread praise, including from Joe Biden

Tom Batchelor21 April 2021 07:02

Barack and Michelle Obama react to verdict

Former US president Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama have released a statement in response to the verdict on Derek Chauvin.

They said in a statement that the jury “did the right thing”, but added that there was more work to be done to work towards “true justice”.

The statement read: “True justice requires that we come to terms with the fact that Black Americans are treated differently, every day. It requires us to recognise 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 of making the America we know more like the America we believe in.”

Read the full statement below:

Kate Ng21 April 2021 07:29

Black teenager shot dead by police in Ohio on day of George Floyd verdict

A Black teenage girl was shot and killed by police in Ohio on the same day the verdict in the George Floyd murder trial was reached.

Family members identified 16-year-old Makiyah Bryant as the victim of the shooting in the city of Columbus.

Graeme Massie reports:

Black teenager woman shot dead by police in Ohio

Police responded to a call that woman was trying to stab someone with knife

Kate Ng21 April 2021 07:44

Ohio police tell bystanders ‘blue lives matter’ moments after girl shot dead as Chauvin verdict delivered

A police officer told a crowd gathered at the scene where a black teenage girl was killed by police in Ohio that “blue lives matter”, just moments after the verdict in the George Floyd murder trial was reached.

At a news conference on Tuesday, the Columbus Police Department released body camera footage which showed the moment the 16-year-old was killed.

Akshita Jain reports:

Kate Ng21 April 2021 08:10

How long will Derek Chauvin get in prison?

Now that former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has been found guilty of all three charges he faced by a 12-person jury, how long will he be behind bars and what does the verdict mean?

My colleague Danielle Zoellner explains:

Kate Ng21 April 2021 08:32

In pictures: People celebrate guilty verdict in Derek Chauvin trial at George Floyd Square

People celebrate and dance in Washington Square Park after the verdict in the trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin
People celebrate and dance in Washington Square Park after the verdict in the trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin (REUTERS)
(Getty Images)
(REUTERS)
(REUTERS)
(REUTERS)
Kate Ng21 April 2021 08:54

Joe Biden celebrates ‘some justice’ for George Floyd, AOC calls conviction not enough

Joe Biden celebrated “some justice” for George Floyd as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called the conviction of Derek Chauvin not enough.

The president and vice president Kamala Harris spoke with Mr Floyd’s family moments after Chauvin was handcuffed and taken out of the courtroom to be returned to prison.

Graeme Massie reports from Los Angeles:

Joe Biden celebrates ‘some justice’ for George Floyd as AOC calls conviction not enough

President says it was ‘really important’ that former police officer found guilty on all counts

Kate Ng21 April 2021 09:20

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