Guilty Of Murder...Police Officer Faces 40 Years Jail For Killing George Floyd

DEREK Chauvin, the US policeman filmed kneeling on the neck of motorist George Floyd, was found guilty of his murder last night.

- Christopher Bucktin

Jurors took eight hours to find Chauvin, 45, responsible for the father-of-five’s death, convicting him of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

Since each of the charges against Chauvin was separate, the jury had to reach a verdict for each count.

The jurors had had to conclude that the former officer’s actions were a “substantial causal factor” in Mr Floyd’s death and that his use of force was unreasonable.

Chauvin now faces up to 40 years in prison. Last night he was denied bail ahead of sentencing which is expected in around eight weeks.

Minneapolis was braced for violent unrest as more than 3,000 members of the National Guard were drafted into the largely boarded-up city.

Another 1,100 officers from agencies across Minnesota joined Operation Safety Net to stop a repeat of the violence that erupted after Mr Floyd’s death last May.

The verdict came swiftly just a day after lawyers presented their closing arguments, the culmination of three weeks of witness testimonies.

The 12 jurors heard 45 witnesses, 38 from the prosecution and seven for Chauvin’s defence.

Protests