Advertisement

The Latest: Biden, Harris to speak after Floyd case verdict

|
Tuesday, April 20, 2021 12:59 PM
People listen on a phone on Tuesday, April 20, 2021, in Washington, before the verdict is read in Minneapolis, in the murder trial against former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
A video screen is seen as the jury afirms a guilty verdict is announced at the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin for the 2020 death of George Floyd, Tuesday, April 20, 2021, in Minneapolis, Minn. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
People cheer after a guilty verdict was announced at the trial of former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin for the 2020 death of George Floyd, Tuesday, April 20, 2021, in Minneapolis, Minn. Former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin has been convicted of murder and manslaughter in the death of Floyd. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
People cheer after a guilty verdict was announced at the trial of former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin for the 2020 death of George Floyd, Tuesday, April 20, 2021, in Minneapolis, Minn. Former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin has been convicted of murder and manslaughter in the death of Floyd. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Latest on the murder trial of former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd (all times local):

4:50 p.m.

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will deliver remarks Tuesday evening after the conviction of ex-police officer Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd.

Biden, Harris and first lady Jill Biden called members of the Floyd family moments after the verdict, according to video posted by family attorney Ben Crump.

Biden told the family, “Nothing is going to make it all better, but at least now there is some justice.”

He added, “We’re all so relieved.”

Biden said he hoped the verdict would give momentum to congressional police reform efforts.

According to the White House, Biden and Harris watched the verdict live from the private dining room just off the Oval Office.

Biden is expected to speak after remarks from Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and the Floyd family.

__

THE TRIAL OF DEREK CHAUVIN FOR THE MURDER OF GEORGE FLOYD:

— Chauvin has been convicted of murder and manslaughter

— President Joe Biden prayed for ‘the right verdict’

— Key events since George Floyd's arrest and death

— The charges against Derek Chauvin

— Follow all of AP’s trial coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/death-of-george-floyd

___

HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

4:45 p.m.

Crowds are celebrating near the Minneapolis courthouse where former police Officer Derek Chauvin was convicted Tuesday of murder and manslaughter in the death of George Floyd.

People elated by the verdict flooded the surrounding streets downtown upon hearing the news. Cars blared their horns and people ran through traffic, waving banners.

As the judge asked jurors if they had reached a verdict, a hush fell on the crowd 300 strong in a park adjacent to the courthouse, with people listening to the proceedings on their cellphones. When the final guilty verdict was announced, the crowd roared, many people hugging, some shedding tears.

An ecstatic Whitney Lewis leaned out a car window waving a “Black Lives Matter” flag in a growing traffic jam of revelers. “Justice was served,” the 32-year-old from Minneapolis said. “It means George Floyd can now rest.”

Floyd died last May after Chauvin, a white officer, pinned his knee on or close to the 46-year-old Black man’s neck for about 9 1/2 minutes.

__

4:07 p.m.

Former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin has been convicted of murder and manslaughter in the death of George Floyd, the explosive case that triggered worldwide protests, violence and a furious reexamination of racism and policing in the U.S.

The jury reached its verdict Tuesday after deliberating about 10 hours over two days in a city on edge against another outbreak of unrest.

Floyd died last May after Chauvin, a white officer, pinned his knee on or close to the 46-year-old Black man’s neck for about 9 1/2 minutes.

__

3:50 p.m.

At the Minneapolis intersection that has been dubbed George Floyd Square, about 100 people have gathered around a large painting of Floyd in anticipation of the verdict in the murder trial of former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin.

The site is located outside of Cup Foods, the convenience store linked to Floyd’s fatal interaction with Chauvin last May.

Several families with small children are among those holding vigil for an announcement from the court.

Eliza Wesley, who identified herself as a gatekeeper of Floyd Square, led those gathered in a word of prayer.

“I don’t have any doubt in you, God,” she said. “You said no weapon formed against us can prosper. ... We’ve been here for 11 months. ... This is the day that the Lord has made.”

__

3 p.m.

The jury has reached a verdict at the murder trial of former Officer Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd, the Black man who was pinned to the pavement with a knee on his neck in a case that set off a furious reexamination of racism and policing in the U.S.

The verdict, arrived at after about 10 hours of deliberations over two days, was to be read late in the afternoon in a city on edge against the possibility of more unrest like that that erupted last spring.

The courthouse is ringed with concrete barriers and razor wire, and thousands of National Guard troops and law enforcement officers have been brought in ahead of the verdict. Some businesses are boarded up with plywood.

 

 

 

Advertisement