The US white ex-police officer who was recently found guilty of murdering African-American man George Floyd in Minneapolis in May 2020 has been sentenced to 22 years and six months in jail Africa Today News, New York reports.
In a ruling yesterday, the judge explained that Derek Chauvin’s sentence was based ‘on your abuse of a position of trust and authority, and also the particular cruelty shown’ to Mr. Floyd.
Mr. Floyd, 48, died after Chauvin knelt on his neck for nine minutes.
His murder caused global protests against racism and police brutality.
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Chauvin, 45, was convicted of second-degree murder and other charges last month. During his trial, his lawyer described the killing as ‘an error made in good faith’.
Chauvin was also told to register as a predatory offender and was barred from owning firearms for life.
He and three other former officers are separately charged with violating George Floyd’s civil rights.
The Floyd family and their supporters welcomed the sentence.
‘This historic sentence brings the Floyd family and our nation one step closer to healing by delivering closure and accountability,’ lawyer Ben Crump tweeted.
Mr Floyd’s sister Bridgett Floyd said the sentence ‘shows that matters of police brutality are finally being taken seriously’ but there was still ‘a long way to go’.
Reacting, President Joe Biden said the sentence ‘seemed to be appropriate’ but admitted that he did not know all the details.
AFRICA TODAY NEWS, NEW YORK