George Floyd: Ex-policeman found guilty of murder

April 21, 2021

On April 20, 2020, the former Minneapolis Officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of manslaughter and murder in George Floyd case. He has now found guilty (arrested for proven charges of murder).

The George Floyd’s case created worldwide protests and violence. It led to re-examination of racism and policing in the United States.

What is George Floyd case?

George Floyd was an African American. A store clerk alleged that George had passed a counterfeit 20 USD. Following the complaint, the police arrested George. During the arrest, one of the four police officers, Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck and back for nine minutes and 29 seconds. This killed George. His death was captured on a cell phone camera.

The death of George Floyd led to worldwide protests.

George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, 2021

It is a police reform bill that was drafted by the Democrats in the US Congress. It aims to combat excessive force by police, police misconduct, racial bias in policing. It was passed at the House of Representatives and is yet to be voted by the Senate.

Powers of Police Officers in the US

A law enforcement officer shall handcuff and arrest a person.
The arrested person will be held in a police station.
The police officer can use force only for self defence.

Use of Deadly Force by Police in the US

In 2019, more than 1004 people were shot and killed by police.

Legal US Terms used to file Charges against Chauvin

The following are the breakdown of charges against Chauvin:

Second Degree Unintentional Murder

It is also called felony murder. According to this, Chauvin applied unlawful force that caused bodily harm to Floyd.

Third Degree Murder

The action was “eminently dangerous”. Eminently means to a notable degree. And the action was carried out with a reckless disregard, that is, the action that is carried out without thinking about the consequences.