Derek Chauvin sentenced to 22.5 years in prison for George Floyd murder

MINNEAPOLIS (TCD) --

Former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced to 22 and a half years in prison on Friday.

Judge Peter Cahill issued the sentence Friday afternoon after denying Chauvin a new trial earlier in the day, WCCO-TV reports.

Chauvin was convicted on all three counts against him in his April trial for the murder of George Floyd in May 2020.

After about 10 hours of deliberation, a jury found Chauvin guilty of unintentional second-degree murder; third-degree murder; and second-degree manslaughter.

Family members made victim-impact statements in court Friday before the sentence was read.

"At this time due to some additional legal matters at hand I'm not able to really give a full formal statement at this time. Briefly though, I do want to give my condolences to the Floyd family," Chauvin said in court Friday, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports. "There's gonna be some other information in the future that would be of interest and I hope things will give you some peace of mind. Thank you."

Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin was recorded on video by bystanders as he pinned his knee on 46-year-old George Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes on May 25, 2020. Floyd was later pronounced dead. Chauvin was fired.

Prosecutors said Floyd died of asphyxia from low oxygen when Chauvin knelt on his neck as former officers J. Alexander Kueng knelt on his buttock/thigh area and Thomas Lane knelt and held his legs, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported. Former officer Tou Thao kept bystanders at bay.

Floyd was being arrested for allegedly using a counterfeit $20 bill to buy cigarettes at a store in south Minneapolis.

Floyd died on May 25, 2020. Chauvin was arrested on May 29, 2020.

Three other officers at the scene were each charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder while committing a felony, and with aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter with culpable negligence.

MORE: