Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced to twenty-two and a half years in prison for the murder of George Floyd.
With good behavior, Derek Chauvin, could be paroled after serving two-thirds of his sentence, or about 15 years.
Chauvin, 45, was convicted in April of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for pressing his knee against Floyd’s neck for up to 9 1/2 minutes as the 46-year-old Floyd gasped that he could not breathe and went limp.
“Mr Chauvin’s prolonged restraint of Mr Floyd was also much longer and more painful than the typical scenario in a second-degree or third-degree murder or second-degree manslaughter case,” the judge wrote in a 22-page memorandum.
Floyd family members, attorneys and activists said they were not satisfied with the sentence.
“Twenty-two-and-a-half is not enough,” George Floyd’s nephew, Brandon Williams, said at a press conference after the hearing, surrounded by lawyers and family members of several Black people shot by police. “What kind of message are we sending to our country?”
On May 25, 2020, four police officials detained Floyd after he had allegedly used a counterfeit bill at a store in Minnesota. Chauvin kneeled on Floyd’s neck as the others watched and did nothing to stop him, though passersby stopped to question the officers. Floyd was unarmed.
Protests grew after a widely shared video showed Chauvin kneeling for almost nine minutes on Floyd, as the African-American was seen pleading with the officials. Floyd repeatedly told Chauvin: “I can’t breathe”. He died on the spot.
