DEREK CHAUVIN RECEIVES 21 YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON FOR THE VIOLATION OF GEORGE FLOYD’S CIVIL RIGHTS

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has been sentenced to 21 years in a federal prison for violating George Floyd’s civil rights. Chauvin, who pleaded guilty in December, will also be required to pay restitution.

During the sentencing, U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson said that Chauvin “must be held responsible” for his actions, including destroying the lives of the other three officers involved in Floyd’s death.

“I really don’t know why you did what you did,” the judge said. “To put your knee on a person’s neck until they expired is simply wrong. … Your conduct is wrong and it is offensive.”

Chauvin’s plea deal, which Magnuson accepted in May, called for a sentence of 20 to 25 years. Magnuson shaved seven months off of the 21-year sentence for time already served — last year, Chauvin was convicted in a state court on murder and manslaughter charges related to Floyd’s May 2020 death and sentenced to 22 1/2 years. He will serve the state and federal sentences concurrently in a federal prison.

Chauvin, who is White, killed Floyd by pinning the unarmed Black man to the pavement with his knee for 9 1/2 minutes, despite Floyd’s fading pleas of “I can’t breathe.” Floyd’s death sparked protests worldwide and forced a national reckoning over police brutality and racism.

Prior to his sentencing Thursday, Chauvin wished Floyd’s children “all the best in their lives” and that they have “excellent guidance in becoming good adults,” CBS Minnesota reports. He did not offer an apology.

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