A viral video showed Chauvin, a 19-year veteran of the Minneapolis police force, kneeling on Floyd's neck for about ten minutes until Floyd passed away.
Digital
Desk: On Thursday, federal court judges sentenced former
Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who had been found guilty of killing
George Floyd, to more than 20 years in prison.
In December 2021, Chauvin, a white guy, admitted to violating
Floyd's civil rights after his arrest in May 2020 for allegedly using a fake
$20 note to purchase a pack of smokes. Floyd is a 46-year-old Black man.
Chauvin had already completed 22 and a half years of his sentence
after being found guilty of state murder in Floyd's death, which spurred
nationwide demonstrations against racial injustice and police violence.
The 46-year-old Chauvin will be permitted to serve his sentence in
a federal prison rather than a Minnesota state penitentiary, where he has been
detained in solitary confinement. The state and federal sentences are to run
simultaneously.
A 25-year sentence was what federal prosecutors had requested.
LeeAnn Bell, an assistant US attorney, told the court that the defendant knew
what he was doing was improper but nevertheless carried it out.
As he handed down the sentence of 252 months with seven months off
for time already served, US District Court Judge Paul Magnuson observed,
"I honestly don't know why you did what you did."
Magnuson disagreed, saying that it was improper to place one's
knee on another person's neck until they were dead. "You must receive
severe punishment."
A viral video showed Chauvin, a 19-year veteran of the Minneapolis
police force, kneeling on Floyd's neck for about ten minutes until Floyd passed
away.
Before the sentence was handed down, Chauvin spoke briefly but did
not retract his acts.
"I just want to say that I wish them all the best in their
lives and have good guidance in becoming amazing adults," he said,
speaking to Floyd's children.
In a "victim impact" statement, one of George Floyd's brothers, Philonise Floyd, called for Chauvin to get a life sentence.
He said he suffered from nightmares because of his brother's
death.
Chauvin's
mother, Carolyn Pawlenty, pleaded for leniency.
She informed
the judge, "I think it is God's will for all of us to forgive. Everyone in
Minnesota needs to recover and understand that every life matters, regardless
of skin colour.
Keith Ellison, the attorney general for Minnesota, hailed the
judgement as "another step of accountability on the road to justice."
According to Ellison, it "send a message that crime like this
will not be tolerated to Minnesotans, all Americans, and law enforcement
agencies across the country."
Chauvin has filed an appeal over his conviction for state-level
murder in Minnesota, but regardless of the outcome of his appeal, Chauvin will
serve a minimum of 20 years in jail after being found guilty on federal counts.
Chauvin and three other police officers, Tou Thao, Alexander
Kueng, and Thomas Lane, who were present when Floyd was fatally arrested, were
accused of violating his constitutional rights and neglecting to attend to his
medical requirements.
While Thao kept away onlookers pleading with the officers to get
off of detained Floyd as he lay face down on the ground saying he couldn't breathe,
Keung and Lane assisted in controlling Floyd.
Along with Thao, a Hmong American, and Kueng, a Black man, Lane, a
white man, admitted guilt to state manslaughter charges and was found guilty by
a federal jury of violating Floyd's civil rights.
In late October, Thao and Kueng will stand trial on the state
manslaughter allegations.
In a separate case, Chauvin also admitted guilt to breaching the
14-year-old boy's constitutional rights.
In that instance from 2017, Chauvin had the youngster in handcuffs
lying face down on the ground while striking him repeatedly with a flashlight.
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