"As I sat and watched the verdict on CNN, in silence, of Derek Chauvin, there was some confusion," state Rep. Ras Smith: 'The relief that I felt was confusing' Watching at home, work and school, Iowans describe relief at Chauvin verdict, push for more action.Central Iowans celebrate Derek Chauvin verdict in 'Justice for George Floyd' gathering in downtown Des Moines.We must do this for George, to ensure that his one life and shocking death will change the future for countless others. We must all keep fighting against injustice. “We all play a role in keeping his legacy alive. “George Floyd was a son, a brother, and a father … who changed the world,” they said. Per the plea deal, Chauvin will now serve time in a federal prison facility.Īttorneys representing the Floyd family said in a statement that Chauvin's guilty plea shows "significant change is afoot" in holding officers accountable. Magnuson didn't set a date for sentencing. The guilty plea will likely add about two and a half years to his sentence, but it will be up to a judge to decide any additional time served. He was sentenced to more than 22 years in prison and has been held in solitary confinement since then. Floyd's cries of "I can't breathe" were stamped on flags and signs that were carried in street protests across the country.Ĭhauvin's conviction in April, a rare outcome for law enforcement officers, was applauded by civil rights leaders who have been calling for local, state, and federal reforms for law enforcement agencies. Video of Chauvin pressing his knee into Floyd's neck as the man yelled out that he couldn't breathe helped galvanize a nationwide social movement aimed to draw attention to and stop excessive use of force by police against Black people. When the judge asked how Chauvin wanted to plead, he said, "At this time, guilty, your honor." "You understand that there is no right to appeal to a higher court? This is the end of it?” Magnuson followed up, according to the court pool. When US District Judge Paul Magnuson asked whether he understood what he was going forward with. The teenager involved in the 2017 case was also sitting in the courtroom. Prosecutors said other charges involving those cases would be dropped, according to the Associated Press.Ĭhauvin appeared Wednesday morning in an orange jumpsuit in the US District Court of Minnesota, with members of his family and Floyd's family present. Chauvin held the teen down by placing his knee on the teen's neck while they were handcuffed, a similar tactic that was found to have killed Floyd. He had been facing another federal trial for the 2017 incident in which he grabbed the teenager by the neck and beat them with a flashlight. But he changed his plea Wednesday, eight months after he was convicted of murder in a state trial.Īs part of his plea deal, prosecutors recommended 300 months in prison, to run concurrently with Chauvin's murder sentence.Ĭhauvin pleaded guilty to one count of violating Floyd's civil rights and another count of violating the civil rights of a 14-year-old in 2017. Alongside the three other former officers, Chauvin had originally pleaded not guilty in the federal case in September 2021. He and three other former officers were indicted in May on charges of violating Floyd's constitutional right to be free from unreasonable seizure and force by a police officer. The disgraced former officer will avoid another trial but potentially extend the amount of time he serves in prison on a state sentence. Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin pleaded guilty on Wednesday to a federal charge that he violated George Floyd's civil rights when he killed him in 2020.
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