"Guilty".
That's the word the crowd gathered in front of the Minneapolis court was waiting for.
Police Officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of the "murder" of George Floyd Tuesday afternoon in Minnesota City.
A verdict also awaited by a large part of the American nation, deeply touched by the death of this African-American during a violent arrest.
Derek Chauvin was convicted of murder, manslaughter and intentional violence, the three charges against him.
However, we will have to wait to know the sentence, which will only be announced in 8 weeks.
The decision immediately sparked an explosion of joy around the Minneapolis courtroom.
The crowd of a hundred people gathered who until then chanted "Justice now began to shout the name of the victim of police violence, now the most famous in the world:" George Floyd ".
This is the sentence that everyone wanted to hear according to reporters present on the spot.
The crowd is celebrating in downtown #Minneapolis @TheNationalNews pic.twitter.com/ZaGcmpykY7
- Willy Lowry (@willy_lowry) April 20, 2021
It is "a relief for the city" testified this reporter present in the city center, at the time of the deliberation of the jury.
The lawyer for George Floyd's family hailed a verdict marking a "turning point in history."
It is also what the onlookers celebrated a few moments after the verdict, with a lot of songs and horns.
"I can't believe it ... Guilty!
Says incredulously Lavid Mack, a 28-year-old perched on a concrete block to see the world come together.
He didn't think Derek Chauvin would be doomed.
A woman moves away from the crowd, and too moved to speak, falls into the arms of a friend.
Another, tears streaming down her cheeks, expresses her relief: "Now we can finally start to breathe," says Amber Young.
"Heal wounds"
“This year has been such a trauma.
From now on I hope that we can heal our wounds, ”she adds.
This African-American woman now turns to another struggle: "We have to fight for Daunte Wright now," in reference to the 20-year-old black man killed on April 11 by a white policewoman in the suburbs of Minneapolis.
With their fists in the air, a group of ten people resumed in chorus: “Black power!
Black power!
"
People hugged in Minneapolis after the verdict was delivered.
Brandon Bell / Getty Images / AFP Brandon Bell
Before the verdict was announced, a man even waved a bottle of brandy among the crowd, hoping to open it if Derek Chauvin was found guilty.
The avenue in front of the court has been cut off to traffic, and several cars which are being diverted from their path honk their horns to celebrate with the crowd.
In the weeks leading up to the verdict, tension was palpable in Minneapolis, which saw heated protests after George Floyd's death last year.
National Guard soldiers patrolled the streets of the city during this period and almost all of the businesses surrounding the court were barricaded behind wooden planks.
All around the court, armored army vehicles, behind concrete blocks and three-meter-high gates, also testified to the sensitive nature of the trial, now over. There remains the sentence of the conviction of Derek Chauvin, which will be announced in a few weeks.
