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News > U.S.

George Floyd’s Killer Sentenced to 21 Years in Federal Prison

  • Demonstrators take part in a protest sparked by the death of George Floyd across the Brooklyn Bridge in New York, the United States, June 13, 2020.

    Demonstrators take part in a protest sparked by the death of George Floyd across the Brooklyn Bridge in New York, the United States, June 13, 2020. | Photo: Michael Nagle/Xinhua

Published 7 July 2022
Opinion

The sentence will run concurrently with Derek Chauvin's state sentence of 22.5 years after he was convicted for second and third-degree murder, as well as second-degree manslaughter.

Derek Chauvin, a former police officer of Minneapolis, in the U.S. state of Minnesota, was sentenced in a federal court to 21 years in prison on Thursday for violating George Floyd's civil rights.

Chauvin previously pleaded guilty to civil rights violations during Floyd's arrest on May 25, 2020.

RELATED:
 Derek Chauvin Convicted to 22.5 Years for George Floyd's Death

That day, Chauvin pressed his knee on the African American man's neck for nine minutes and 29 seconds.

The sentence will run concurrently with Chauvin's state sentence of 22.5 years after he was convicted for second and third-degree murder, as well as second-degree manslaughter.

He will move from state prison to federal prison.

Floyd's death sparked massive demonstrations across the United States in the summer of 2020 against police brutality and systemic racism.

Three other former officers at the scene of Floyd's arrest were convicted earlier this year on federal charges of depriving Floyd of his civil rights. Their sentencing dates have not been scheduled.

The federal sentence for Chauvin came as protesters were decrying police violence and racism in the fatal shooting of African American man Jayland Walker in Akron, Ohio.

The Akron Police Department on Sunday released body-camera footage of the deadly encounter, which took place after midnight on June 27 during an attempted traffic stop.

Officers attempted to pull over Walker on unspecified traffic violations and they chased his vehicle on the expressway for several minutes, according to the police.

Walker then allegedly jumped out of his car while the footage showed officers pursuing him on foot before opening fire.

The police department said officers "reported a firearm being discharged from the suspect vehicle" during the encounter.

Walker, 25, suffered more than 60 gunshot wounds and was unarmed at the time, Akron Police Chief Steve Mylett told reporters on Sunday.

Eight officers who were directly involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative leave as part of the protocol in a police shooting.

Akron had contacted the Ohio Attorney General's Bureau of Criminal Investigation and requested an independent investigation into the incident. The process is underway.

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