A United States Jury has found former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin guilty of the murder and manslaughter of African American man George Floyd.
Mr Floyd died on May 25, 2020, after being arrested on suspicion of passing a counterfeit $US20 bill for a pack of cigarettes at a corner store market.
He panicked and struggled with police when they tried to put him into the police car; they put him facedown on the road instead.
At the heart of the case was a bystander’s video of Mr Floyd gasping repeatedly ‘I Can’t breathe’ while being pinned to the ground.
Onlookers shouted at Chauvin to stop as the officer pressed his knee on or close to Floyd’s neck for what authorities said was nine-and-a-half minutes.
The video then went viral and sparked worldwide protests and a re-examination of racism and policing in the United States.
Chauvin, was found guilty on all three charges against him – second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter.
Judge Peter Cahill delivered the jury’s verdict.
At a news conference on Tuesday, George Floyd’s family celebrated the verdict as a win “for Everyone Who Has Been Held Down,”
Floyd’s brother Philonise said he had been getting messages from people around the world.
Civil Rights Attorney and Floyd family lawyer, Ben Crump hailed the verdict as a “moment where we finally are getting close to living up to our declaration of independence.”
