Derek Chauvin has been convicted guilty of third degree murder, third degree manslaughter and action of negligence during his inhuman excessive action of kneeling on George Floyd’s neck while ignoring his cries for breath.
This is perceived as seminal moment in the history of America’s justice system where police officers have consistently been acquitted of murder charges during the course of their duties.
Chauvin who showed no emotion during the verdict was handcuffed and led away to be remanded in custody.
Maurice Lester Hall, who had once worked on a song with the late George Floyd, stood among the gathering crowd outside Government Center, waiting for the verdict. Behind him a car played some of the songs George Floyd once leant his vocals to.
“George is gonna get justice but it’s not going to bring him back,” Mr. Hall said as he looked toward the Government Center, where National Guard members lined the steps, an American flag visible through a window behind them. “I’m struggling with the aftermath. Every day I miss this guy. Literally every day,” he added.
Mr. Hall invoked his Fifth Amendment privilege to avoid testifying for Derek Chauvin’s defense even though he was in the car with Mr. Floyd on May 25.
“Me testifying only would have distracted the people,” he said.
As he spoke, the crowd chanted George Floyd’s name and called for justice.
As the judge read the guilty verdicts just after 4 pm, Mr. Hall began to smile.
“It’s the first step in the right direction. We got three more officers to pin down. A great thing has been done,” he added.
