The Associated Press
ap photo Lisa Robinson reacts on Tuesday in Washington as the guilty verdict is read in Minneapolis in the murder trial against former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin.
MINNEAPOLIS Former Minneapolis Officer Derek Chauvin was convicted Tuesday of murder and manslaughter for pinning George Floyd to the pavement with his knee on the Black man’s neck in a case that triggered worldwide protests, violence and a furious reexamination of racism and policing in the U.S.
Chauvin, 45, was immediately led away with his hands cuffed behind his back and could be sent to prison for decades.
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Chauvin guilty of murder and manslaughter in Floyd s death
People hold signs as they march near the Hennepin County Government Center during a rally in Minneapolis on Monday, April 19, 2021, after the murder trial against former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin advanced to jury deliberations. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
April 21, 2021 Share
After three weeks of testimony, the trial of the former police officer charged with killing George Floyd ended swiftly: barely over a day of jury deliberations, then just minutes for the verdicts to be read guilty, guilty and guilty and Derek Chauvin was handcuffed and taken away to prison.
Chauvin, 45, could be sent to prison for decades when he is sentenced in about two months in a case that triggered worldwide protests, violence and a furious reexamination of racism and policing in the U.S.
The verdict set off jubilation mixed with sorrow across the city and around the nation. Hundreds of people poured into the streets of Minneapolis, some running through traffic with banners. Drivers blared their horns in celebration.
(Joseph Robinson)
Celebrated poet and former California Poet Laureate Al Young has passed away at the age of 81, according to reports from Stanford University. Young, known for his passion for jazz and his warm and friendly presence, lectured at the college for many years, and in 2005 was appointed the Poet Laureate of California by then-Governor Arnold Schwarznegger.
“Al Young represented the best in literary life. He was enormously talented in both fiction and poetry, though as he got older poetry came to be his natural means of expression,” Dana Gioia, the 2015–2019 California Poet Laureate, told The Book Haven. “He was one of the most gracious writers I ever met… Not many writers have a gift for public service. The role came naturally for Al.”
Where The Chauvin Verdict Fits In The Recent History Of High-Profile Police Killings by Rachel Treisman
7:25pm Apr 20, 2021 A sign at a June 2020 protest against racial injustice and police violence in Seattle bears the names of people killed by police. Ted S. Warren / AP
After only about 10 hours of deliberation, a jury has found former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin guilty on all counts in the murder of George Floyd an outcome Floyd s civil legal team called painfully earned justice in a statement released after the verdict was announced.
The trial s outcome was highly anticipated and the guilty verdict not necessarily guaranteed: While Floyd s killing ignited a wave of protests against racism and police brutality nationwide and around the world, convictions of police officers over on-duty shootings are rare.