US ex-cop Derek Chauvin to be sentenced June 16 for George Floyd murder

US ex-cop Derek Chauvin to be sentenced June 16 for George Floyd murder
April 24, 2021, 9:46 am

Former Minnesota police officer Derek Chauvin poses in a combination of booking photographs at Hennepin County Jail in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. May 31, 2020. Picture taken May 31, 2020. (Hennepin County Sheriff's Office/Handout via Reuters)

Sacked US police officer Derek Chauvin will be sentenced on June 16 for the murder of African American George Floyd in a case that sparked nationwide anti-racism protests.

The Hennepin County District Court in the Midwestern city of Minneapolis, where handcuffed Floyd died last May, said in its online schedule that the white ex-cop will be sentenced at 1:30 pm (1830 GMT).

The ex-officer – who knelt on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes – faces up to 40 years in prison after being found guilty of all charges Tuesday over the death of the unarmed man.

The crime was recorded by a bystander whose video shocked the world, triggering mass protests across the United States and beyond, while also prompting a national reckoning on racial injustice and police brutality.

Last year’s killing of Floyd as he lay face down and handcuffed saying repeatedly “I can’t breathe” has prompted some police reforms, but advocates including President Joe Biden say more is needed.

While the Chauvin trial progressed in Minneapolis, the city was rocked by the fatal police shooting of yet another African American, 20-year-old Daunte Wright.

On Wednesday US Attorney General Merrick Garland announced a civil investigation to determine whether the Minneapolis Police Department systematically uses excessive force and “engages in a pattern or practice of unconstitutional or unlawful policing,” including during legal protests.

source: AFP

Image source: Reuters

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