The jury has spoken in a case of police brutality that heightened racial tension across the U.S.
A Minneapolis jury has found former police officer Derek Chauvin guilty of second-degree murder in the death of George Floyd, a Black man who died after being held down by Chauvin until he asphyxiated in May 2020.
Chauvin, who is White, was also convicted of third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter in the case.
Hennepin County Court Judge Pete Cahill had stated that court was in recess until the jury reached a verdict. The panel deliberated for a total of ten hours over two days, having been given the case Monday afternoon.
Seven women and five men made up the jury, according to ABC News. Six of them were White, four were Black, and two identified as biracial.
The verdict was met by cheers from crowds that gathered near the south Minneapolis grocery store where Floyd died.
President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris spoke with the Floyd family by telephone after the verdict. According to ABC, Biden and Harris had been watching the trial and were relieved by the verdict.
Floyd died on May 25, 2020 outside the market. Police officers were called on a report that Floyd had a phony $20 bill, and found Floyd near his SUV, arresting him on a forgery charge. Chauvin soon arrived on scene and was eventually seen on video holding Floyd down with his knee for over nine minutes, despite repeated complaints from Floyd that he couldn't breathe. An ambulance soon arrived and took Floyd to a hospital, where he died about an hour later.
Chauvin could face up to 40 years in prison when he is sentenced in mid-June. He was immediately remanded into custody with bail revoked.
The death resulted in protests, some of them violent, around the world, and generated increased support for the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. In southwestern Ontario, protests took place in Windsor, London, and Kitchener.
The three other police officers on scene also face criminal charges, and will be tried together in August.