Guilty on all charges. This is the verdict reached by the jury against Derek Chauvin, the police officer who killed George Floyd in Minneapolis last 25 May. Chauvin was charged with manslaughter, third-degree murder and second-degree murder, which carry sentences of up to 10, 25 and 40 years in prison respectively.

Following the announcement of the verdict, United States president Joe Biden spoke with Floyd's family to express his support.

How the trial unfolded

The trial State of Minnesota vs Derek Michael Chauvin began on 29 March, approximately ten months after Floyd's death. Chauvin had pleaded "not guilty" to all charges and did not take part in the hearings.

The prosecution called 38 witnesses, including several people who had directly witnessed the confrontation between Chauvin and Floyd. "It was wrong, he was in pain," stated Darnella Frazier, the girl — a minor at the time of the events — who, while accompanying her cousin to the supermarket, filmed the video in which Chauvin presses his knee on Floyd's neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds. "I got the impression that he knew… that it was over. He was terrified," she added.

The defence, represented by attorney Eric Nelson, painted a contrasting picture, describing Chauvin as the person truly in danger, surrounded by a crowd that was growing increasingly hostile. Genevieve Hansen — an off-duty firefighter who witnessed the scene and repeatedly asked to be allowed to help Floyd, without ever being given authorisation — nonetheless responded to Nelson in no uncertain terms: "I don't know if you've ever seen someone die, but it is a traumatic experience."

The Minneapolis chief of police, Medaria Arradondo, testified that Chauvin's behaviour towards Floyd did not comply "in any way, shape, or form" with department rules. "It's not part of our training, and it's certainly not part of our ethics or our values." According to Arradondo, Chauvin's actions might have been justifiable in the first moments of the encounter, but once Floyd stopped resisting, the officer "should have stopped."

Barry Brodd – an expert on the use of force by police – testified for the defence stating that Chauvin had acted lawfully and reasonably, "following the guidance provided by the Minneapolis Police Department". Brodd did, however, admit that the pressure applied to the victim's neck "could be considered an example of use of force".

One of the main arguments put forward by the defence holds that Floyd died as a result of pre-existing health problems and drug use. David Fowler, a now-retired forensic pathologist, stated that the cause of death may have been a "sudden arrhythmia" caused by the arteriosclerosis and hypertension conditions Floyd suffered from. The use of "fentanyl and methamphetamines" would have worsened the situation.

Jonathan Rich, a cardiologist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, testified for the prosecution arguing that Floyd died as a result of a cardiopulmonary arrest caused by a lack of oxygen, a consequence of the constriction of his airways. The same conclusion was reached by Andrew Baker, the medical examiner for Hennepin County, where the events took place.

Protests in Minneapolis

During the trial, the city of Minneapolis was the centre of a series of protests and demonstrations organised, among others, by supporters of the Black Lives Matter movement. As a precautionary measure, the area around the courthouse where the trial was held was fenced off with temporary concrete barriers and barbed wire.

The situation became particularly tense following the death of Daunte Wright, a young Black man killed on 11 April in the Brooklyn Center area, in the north of the city. Wright was struck by a gunshot fired by police officer Kimberly Potter, who had stopped the young man for a traffic violation. Potter maintains that she did not intend to shoot Wright, but mistakenly confused her taser for her gun.

Shortly after the incident, hundreds of people gathered to protest against yet another case of police violence against the Black community, leading to clashes between law enforcement and demonstrators.

In Minneapolis, many shops and restaurants boarded up their windows with wooden panels to prevent any damage caused by further protests. Following Floyd's death, the demonstrations had caused millions of dollars worth of damage to traders, who were already struggling due to the coronavirus pandemic.