Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has been sentenced to 21 years in prison on federal civil rights charges in the death of George Floyd.
Chauvin held his knee on the back of Floyd’s head for more than 9 minutes. Floyd, who was handcuffed and face down on the pavement, repeatedly said he couldn’t breathe before losing consciousness and his pulse, according to evidence presented at Chauvin’s state trial. Floyd was later pronounced dead at a hospital.
Chauvin had previously pleaded not guilty to the charges, but in December 2021, he pleaded guilty to violating Floyd’s civil rights and admitted to keeping his knee on Floyd’s neck even after he became unresponsive.
Chauvin’s plea agreement called for a sentence of 20 to 25 years and that he serve the federal sentence concurrently with the state sentence in federal prison.
In April 2021, Chauvin was also found guilty on three counts in Floyd’s death: second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter.
Thao and Kueng now await a state trial on charges of aiding and abetting murder and aiding and abetting manslaughter in Floyd’s death.
Both have pleaded not guilty.
