The jury has announced that it has reached a decision, and is expected to announce in the coming hours whether Derek Shubin - the policeman who walked on Floyd's neck for 9 minutes - will be convicted of murder or manslaughter.
Protest in Washington in memory of George Floyd
Photo:
AFP
The incident that shocked the world is reaching a climax - and the US is on alert. The
trial of Derek Shubin, the Minneapolis police officer accused of excessively violently killing African-American George Floyd in May 2020 when he was arrested for using counterfeit money, comes tonight (Tuesday to Wednesday) for a moment A decision when the jury will soon announce its decision.
As I recall, Chauvin was photographed with his knee resting tightly on 46-year-old Floyd's neck brutally when he stopped him in Minneapolis and handcuffed him in front of the store where he tried to buy cigarettes with the counterfeit bill.
He continued to do so for over 9 minutes, even after Floyd begged to be burned and even shouted the words that had become the slogan of millions of protesters: "I can not breathe."
The massive demonstrations that followed the publication of this video led to a wave of severe vandalism against federal institutions and against statues of people considered to have racist backgrounds, and also led commercial companies to change brands perceived as racist and inappropriate, such as the Washington Redskins football team. The food that produced the “Annette Jamima” brand that was with a stereotypical painting of an African-American.
Chauvin refused to testify at the trial, using his constitutional right not to indict himself.
However, it was not at all clear which direction the jury was heading, as their only role was to determine if there was a reasonable doubt that Chauvin caused Floyd's death by strangulation, and according to some commentators - the medical experts presented by the defense may have cast sufficient doubt.
Either way, the very quick decision-making - after two days of hearings - shows that there were not many hearings between the jury and in fact everyone was convinced pretty quickly on one side or the other.
Shubin was charged with first-degree murder on three counts.
In the run-up to the verdict, there was grave concern that Chubin's acquittal would lead to another wave of riots, especially in light of the continuing police incidents that led to the recent deaths of blacks.
