As it happened: Derek Chauvin found guilty of George Floyd’s murder

That’s all for today’s blog, thanks for tuning in.

If you’ve just clicked onto the blog, trawling back through the posts may take a while, so it’s worth checking out our US correspondent Matthew Knott’s report on the verdict. Read the full article. 

Matthew has also filed his own analysis on what the verdict means for America. Read the analysis. 

And over the course of today’s blog, the photo gallery our picture editors have been collating has grown to include 21 shots from the trial and the reaction to the verdict from around America. Check it out here.

And given it was because of a video that the circumstances of George Floyd’s death caused such shockwaves in the US and around the world, it seems fitting to close today’s blog with a few videos chronicling the day the guilty verdict was passed down to former police officer Derek Chauvin.

Here is the moment the guilty verdict was read out in the Minneapolis courtroom:

Here is the loud reaction of the crowd outside the courthouse:

Here is the moment Floyd’s family in Houston heard the news:

Here is the phone call between George Floyd’s family and US president Joe Biden after the verdict for which the cameras were present:

And here is the press conference that US President Joe Biden and US Vice President Kamala Harris held a short time after the verdict, in which both of them urged the US Senate to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Bill:

George Floyd’s family watched the verdict from their living room in Houston, erupting into tears, shouts and smiles of relief at the verdict.

“To see him handcuffed and walked out of that courthouse like my brother was handcuffed.. that’s it... he ain’t got no more power, he’s not in control anymore my brother is in control,” said Latonya Floyd, George Floyd’s sister.

“I’m so happy, I’m so, so happy right now - God, if you could just feel every beat of my heart, you know?”

Mr Floyd’s niece Bianca said her family was now going to focus on fighting for justice for other black Americans killed in encounters with the police such as Dante Parker, Breonna Taylor, Sandra Bland and Eric Garner.

“We got justice for my uncle, and justice for so much more, justice for everybody,” she said.

“We’re going to continue to fight for everyone, every family. This is just the beginning.”

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have both taken to Twitter to welcome the guilty verdict:

Mr Johnson said he welcomed the verdict as he “was appalled” by Mr Floyd’s death.

“My thoughts tonight are with George Floyd’s family and friends,” Mr Johnson wrote.

Meanwhile in Canada, Mr Trudeau said the verdict should not cause complacency on racism in public instituions.

“In the US today, we saw accountability for the murder of George Floyd.

“But make no mistake, systemic racism and anti-Black racism still exist. And they exist in Canada, too. Our work must and will continue.”

US correspondent Matthew Knott has filed his take on today’s verdict and what it means for America. Here’s an excerpt:

When the video of George Floyd’s death emerged last May, it was a startling, galvanising moment for America.

Events are supposedly always more complicated than they appear on the surface. But nothing that emerged in the intervening 11 months fundamentally undermined the gut reaction millions of people around the world had when they watched the video: Chauvin murdered Floyd in cold blood.

People gather outside Cup Foods in Minneapolis to celebrate the murder conviction of former police Officer Derek Chauvin in the killing of George Floyd.Credit: AP

Yet when Chauvin’s three-week trial concluded this week, many black residents in Minneapolis felt deeply pessimistic about the chances the ex-cop would be convicted - especially on the most serious charge of second-degree murder.

It says something about this country that, despite the overwhelming evidence of Chauvin’s guilt, so many African Americans did not believe that justice would be achieved. It says something about America that widespread destruction and anarchy were regarded as inevitable if Chauvin had been acquitted.

But it also says something about America that, in the end, the 12 members of the jury arrived at their verdict. They followed the evidence to its logical conclusion. They chose to believe their own eyes.

Read the full analysis

Here is the full video of the press conference from US president Joe Biden and vice president Kamala Harris in response to the guilty verdict handed down to former police officer Derek Chauvin over the death of George Floyd:

As Americans celebrated the guilty verdict for former police officer Derek Chauvin Tuesday, the jury’s decision also prompted poignant reflections on how different the story of Floyd’s death would have been had bystanders not intervened and filmed the interaction.

On May 25, 2020, a police report titled “Man Dies After Medical Incident During Police Interaction,” stated that the Minneapolis Police Department responded to a report of a forgery in progress.

The roughly 200-word statement said a male suspect in his 40s who appeared “under the influence” resisted orders to step from his car.

“Officers were able to get the suspect into handcuffs and noted he appeared to be suffering medical distress,” the statement said. “Officers called for an ambulance. He was transported to Hennepin County Medical Center by ambulance where he died a short time later.”

But it was only through videos filmed by concerned bystanders that the public first learned that Chauvin had pinned Floyd to the ground pressing his knee on his neck for more than nine minutes, despite his continuous cries for help, gasping for air and claiming that he could not breathe.

The statement also omitted details of how those same witnesses desperately pleaded the police to relent.

Washington Post

Oprah Winfrey has tweeted her reaction to the guilty verdict, stating she “cried tears of joy” as the guilty verdicts for each of the three charges were read out.

She also wrote she was grateful to Darnella Frazier, the teenager who shot the smartphone video of George Floyd’s arrest, and the jurors for their decision.

US Attorney General Merrick Garland has said that the US Justice Department’s investigation into George Floyd’s death remains “ongoing,” suggesting it is still possible that Derek Chauvin and others could face federal civil rights charges.

In a statement, Garland said the jury in Chauvin’s trial on state charges had “fulfilled its civic duty” and noted, “While the state’s prosecution was successful, I know that nothing can fill the void that the loved ones of George Floyd have felt since his death.”

US Attorney General Merrick Garland.Credit: AP

“The Justice Department has previously announced a federal civil rights investigation into the death of George Floyd,” Garland said in the statement. “This investigation is ongoing.”

The Justice Department often investigates incidents in which police officers kill those in their custody as possible civil rights violations, though state manslaughter, murder or assault charges are generally easier to prove.

State charges, though, don’t preclude the Justice Department from pursuing its own criminal probe, which can potentially result in more severe penalties.

Washington Post

Celebrations broke out in downtown Minneapolis today as a County judge read out the guilty verdict.

Hundreds of people gathered outside the courthouse, which had been enclosed in razor wire, in advance of the verdict, many playing live feed from inside the courthouse on their phones.

The crowd fell silent as Judge Peter Cahill read out that former police officer Derek Chauvin had been found guilty on three counts, and members pressed ears against their phones to hear the stream.

As the news swept over the group, they erupted in jubilation.

“Guilty!” they roared. “All three! All three!” shouted Dominic Powell, 33, who hopped on the back of a pickup truck and waived a Black Lives Matter. Drivers listening to the news on their radios joined in by blasting their horns in elation.

“I’m just shaking,” said her friend Prisca Diyoka, 26. “It was overwhelming all last summer, processing this. We fought for something and we got what we fought for.”

TNS (words) Reuters (video)

Here are some clips from the press conference US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris gave a short time ago.

Both Biden and Harris welcomed the guilty verdict but said more work needed to be done to address racism and reform policing in America.

We’re putting together a video of the full press conference as well, which I will post on the blog as soon as it becomes available.