“I Can’t Breathe”
On 25 May 2020, George Floyd bought a pack of cigarettes when a store employee called the Minneapolis police under the suspicion that Floyd had used a counterfeit $20 bill. Ex-police officer Derek Chauvin restrained Floyd by pressing a knee to the man’s neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds while Floyd repeatedly pleaded for his life. George Floyd was pronounced dead. 17-year-old Darnella Frazier, a bystander, filmed the entirety of the event. The whole world watched her video and took action.
George Floyd’s death initiated protests against police brutality and calls for social justice reform and acknowledgement of systemic racial injustice. Finally, on April 20, 2021, the trial against Derek Chauvin concluded. Chauvin, 45, has been found guilty of unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
The Trial
It is without a doubt that the trial has been one of the most closely watched cases in recent history. Before the trial began, this story has been a cursor for an overdue universal reckoning on police violence and systemic racism. Watchers rejoiced as the jury unanimously found former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin guilty on all the counts he faced over the death of George Floyd.
The verdict was delivered by Judge Peter Cahill who thanked the jury members for their “heavy-duty jury service.” Chauvin was remanded into custody and sentencing is expected in eight weeks.
The testimony throughout the trial was remarkable as witnesses for the prosecution included members of the Minneapolis police. The department’s Chief Medaria Arradondo was one of the members who testified that Chauvin’s prolonged restraint of Floyd was unreasonable and violated the department’s policies on the use of force.
Arradondo stated that the continuous restraint after Floyd remained motionless and handcuffed was “in no way, shape or form is anything that is by policy, is not part of our training and is certainly not part of our ethics or our values.”
In retaliation, Chauvin’s defence argued that there were several potential factors other than the restraint that lead to Floyd’s death, including what it said was Floyd’s enlarged heart, fentanyl and methamphetamine in his system and possibly carbon monoxide from squad car exhaust. Lead by defence attorney Eric Nelson, arguments for Chauvin aimed at stressing that he acted as a reasonable police officer would under stressful and chaotic circumstances.
The medical examiners agreed that the restraint and neck compression was more than Floyd’s body was able to take. While Floyd may have had an enlarged heart and slight exposure to fentanyl, Hennepin County’s medical examiner, Dr Andrew Baker, stated these were not the direct cause of death. Rather, the restraint leads to Floyd suffering a cardiopulmonary arrest.
“[Cardiopulmonary arrest] was caused by low oxygen levels. And those low oxygen levels were induced by the prone restraint and positional asphyxiation that he was subjected to,” testified Dr Jonathan Rich, a cardiologist.
Guilty on Three Charges
Chauvin was found guilty on all three charges brought against him:
- Unintentional second-degree murder – this is causing death without intent to do so while committing or attempting to commit a felony offence.
- Third-degree murder – this is causing death by perpetrating an act that is imminently dangerous to others with ill intentions and depraved mind, without regard to human life but without the intent to cause death.
- Second-degree manslaughter – this is causing the death of another by “culpable negligence, creating an unreasonable risk” in which the defendant intentionally takes the risk of causing death or grievous bodily harm to another individual.
As Chauvin was found guilty on all counts, he can be sentenced to a maximum of 75 years in prison.
The Jury
The jurors remain unnamed to the public. The jury comprised 12 jurors. They would report each day to the Hennepin County Government Center under intense security measures, using a private entrance to enter the court.
The jurors were given a laptop and monitor to review video footage and all exhibits that were presented during the trial. In the state of Minneapolis, the jury must come to a unanimous decision. In addition, if they are missing any single element to meet the burden of proving Chauvin’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt for a count, that count would receive a not-guilty verdict.
The jury came to a unanimous decision faster than anticipated. Within 10 hours, they were ready to present their verdicts.
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