Derek Chauvin guilty in murder of George Floyd

The Justice Department informed the Minneapolis Police Department that they were opening a civil investigation this morning, a senior justice official told reporters on a background call, saying that MPD leaders pledged cooperation in the probe. 

Career civil rights division attorneys, as part of the special litigation section, had been looking into the practices of the department and made the recommendation to senior leaders at DOJ to open the investigation, according to the official.

A team of civil rights division attorneys from the Justice Department are on the ground in Minneapolis working with the US Attorney’s Office in Minnesota to begin the investigation, according to the official. 

These investigations are typically staffed by career attorneys with deep civil rights experience, and they hire teams of experts to assist and look into evidence, the official said. The teams often include former police chiefs or high-level police officers in similarly situated cities.

In the months after George Floyd’s death, Minneapolis Police Department officers reported using force on far fewer people – but then use of force spiked late last year, a CNN analysis of MPD data found. 

And after Floyd’s death, Black people are still subject to use of force by Minneapolis officers at a highly disproportionate rate.

The analysis, which comes as the Department of Justice announced Wednesday it would open an investigation into the MPD’s practices, suggests that the prosecution of former officer Derek Chauvin in Floyd’s death hasn’t led to a sustained reduction in use of force by Minneapolis officers – or the racial disparities in who is subject to police force.

CNN reviewed cases in which the race of the person police used force on was recorded. Between January 2008, when the data begins, and May 25, 2020, when Chauvin killed Floyd, 64.6% of people who police used force on were Black. Since Floyd’s death, 62.6% were Black. 

That’s in a city that is just 19% Black, according to U.S. Census records. 

Overall, the MPD data shows that police use of force dropped significantly immediately after Floyd’s killing last May. Officers reported using force on just 32 people in June and 31 people in July – the lowest totals of any month since the beginning of the data in 2008.  

But later in 2020, there was a pronounced spike. Officers used force on 204 people in September, 232 in October and 221 in November – the highest monthly totals in the dataset.  

Since then, use of force has dropped, but is still elevated compared to previous years. Police used force on 115 people in March 2021 – more than any month in 2017, 2018 or 2019.  

Police reported using a “neck restraint” in only a single case since Floyd’s killing, in which Chauvin kneeled on Floyd’s neck. An officer put a 26-year-old Black man arrested for burglary in a neck restraint in August 2020, according to the data. The man was listed as assaulting an officer. The city banned all neck restraints and chokeholds by police in June.

CNN reported last year that Minneapolis police reported using neck restraints on hundreds of people in the years before Floyd’s death, two-thirds of whom were Black.  

Chauvin’s use of force on Floyd does not appear to be listed in the dataset. There are no recorded uses of force on May 25, 2020.

In addition, officers appear to be recording less complete data about the race of the people they used force on. Since Floyd’s death, 19% of people who officers used force on were listed with an “unknown” or “not recorded” race, compared to less than 4% in the years before his death. It’s possible that that discrepancy could be because some of the more recent cases are still being investigated. 

CNN reached out to MPD for comment Wednesday morning and but has not heard back.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki speaks during a press briefing at the White House on April 21 in Washington, DC.

The White House continued to advocate for the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act Wednesday amid ongoing negotiations on Capitol Hill after the conviction of Derek Chauvin. It will be a key topic during President Biden’s address to a joint session of Congress next Wednesday.

“As he’s thinking about what his joint session speech looks like next week, he has every intention of using that as an opportunity to elevate this issue and talk about the importance of putting police reform measures in place,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said at the press briefing.  

Psaki declined to say whether the President would support a bill without qualified immunity, a key sticking point in the ongoing negotiations. When she was pressed on whether the President would support getting rid of the filibuster to pass this legislation without 60 votes, she said Biden’s position remains unchanged.  

Asked whether the White House was open to a counter proposal led by Republican Sen. Tim Scott, she said, “Of course,” adding that “this is going to be a discussion” and the White House would let it play out on the Hill. 

Her comments come after Scott told reporters earlier Wednesday he believes discussions on a police reform proposal are “on the verge of wrapping” soon.

Senior White House leadership, Psaki said, has also been advocating for the bill on Capitol Hill, noting that the White House is “(providing) the space for those conversations to happen privately.”

The White House is also in “regular contact” with civil rights advocacy groups on the issue. 

Former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty yesterday of all three charges against him in the killing of George Floyd. Chauvin is now in jail awaiting sentencing, which will be in eight weeks.

CNN correspondent Miguel Marquez is on the ground in Minneapolis, and he answered some of your questions about the verdict and what comes next.

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Vice President Kamala Harris speaks on April 20 at the White House in Washington, DC.

CNN’s Manu Raju just asked Vice President Kamala Harris if she’s open to compromise on the issue of qualified immunity, a key sticking point in the talks over a police reform bill, as Democrats seek to make it easier to sue police officers in civil court.

Harris made her comments as she was leaving the Senate.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey speaks during a news conference at City Hall in Minneapolis on May 27, 2020.

Mayor Jacob Frey said Wednesday he welcomes the Justice Department’s probe into policing practices in Minneapolis following the death of George Floyd and murder conviction of former officer Derek Chauvin.

“We welcome the investigation as an opportunity to continue working toward deep change and accountability in the Minneapolis Police Department,” Frey said in a statement.

The Minneapolis City Council released a statement saying their oversight of the police department is limited and they are also welcoming the DOJ investigation.

Some background: Attorney General Merrick Garland announced a civil investigation into the Minneapolis Police department on Wednesday. It will look in to how officers are trained, what policies are in place and how the department handles use-of-force investigations. DOJ personnel will also talk to members of the community about their interactions with officers, according to Garland.

He said it is separate from and independent of the federal criminal investigation into the death of George Floyd that the Justice Department has previously announced.

Sen. Tim Scott departs the U.S. Capitol on February 13 in Washington, D.C.

Republican Sen. Tim Scott told reporters he believes discussions on a police reform proposal are “on the verge of wrapping” soon.

“I think we are on the verge of wrapping this up in the next a week or two, depending on how quickly they respond to our suggestions,” Scott said.

On qualified immunity, which protects police officers in civil court, Scott said he’d rather see a police department sued for an issue rather than a police officer.

He said he has been talking to Sen. Corey Booker and other lawmakers across the aisle about that change and that it is “something that the Democrats are quite receptive to.”

“I think that is a way that we can make progress towards a bill that actually has the kind of impact that I think is helpful.” he said.

George Floyd’s cousin and aunt said they feel a sense of relief after former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty in Floyd’s murder. 

“We were just so relieved, because historically, we don’t get this justice, we just don’t,” Angela Harrelson, Floyd’s aunt, said to CNN’s Kate Bolduan. 

Paris Stevens, Floyd’s cousin, said the family was awake most of the night discussing the trial.

Stevens said that police reform is still needed.

“We want police to do their job and to serve and protect, but are we using the excessive force or can we de-escalate another way? We don’t want it to always end in death. And all police officers do not have ill intentions. We know that. But correction has to be made. And with this guilty verdict, it’s a step in the right direction that those who act ill-advised will be sentenced and held accountable,” Stevens said. 

Harrelson said the world showed her family “so much love.”

“That love overshadowed the hate. It will always overshadow hate, and the process of forgiving needs to start,” she said. 

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Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer arrives at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, April 21.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Wednesday that the Senate “will not rest” until Congress passes “strong legislation to end the systemic bias in law enforcement.”

He said: “We should not mistake a guilty verdict” in the Chauvin trial “as evidence that the persistent problem of police misconduct has been solved, or that the divide between law enforcement and so many of the communities they serve has been bridged, it has not.”

He added that Congress must remain diligent to meaningfully reform police departments, their training and the “legal protections that grant too great a shield to police officers guilty of misconduct.”

The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act has already passed the US House of Representatives. It now needs a debate and a vote in the US Senate. The legislation in that chamber requires 60 votes to overcome a filibuster and it’s not clear there would be enough Republican support to get the legislation across the finish line in the Senate

According to the legislation’s fact sheet, the bill would “save lives by banning chokeholds and no-knock warrants” and would mandate “deadly force be used only as a last resort.”

On Derek Chauvin being found guilty of murdering George Floyd, Schumer said the verdict confirmed what was “plain” to the millions who watched the video of his killing.

“This guilty verdict serves as an official proclamation of what so many of us have known for nearly a year: George Floyd was murdered by an officer who was sworn to protect and to serve,” he said.

CNN’s Clare Foran contributed reporting to this post.

Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the Justice Department has opened a civil investigation into the Minneapolis Police Department to determine if the department “engages in a pattern or practice of unconstitutional or unlawful policing.”

This is the first major announcement made by Garland since he was confirmed last month as attorney general.

Garland said the investigation will look into wether the MPD engages in “discriminatory conduct” and will look at the department’s policies and training as well as use-of-force investigations.

“The Justice Department has already begun to reach out to community groups and members of the public to learn about their experiences with the MPD,” he said, adding federal investigators will also reach out to officers about training and the support they receive.

He said the effort will be staffed by attorneys and personnel from the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division as well as the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota.

“I know such wounds have deep roots and that too many communities have experienced those wounds firsthand,” Garland said, reflecting on the conviction of Derek Chauvin on Tuesday. “Yesterday’s verdict in the state criminal trial does not address potentially systemic policing issues in Minneapolis.”

Garland said that if the DOJ concludes “there’s reasonable cause to believe there is a pattern or practice of unconstitutional or unlawful policing,” they will issue a public report of their conclusions and the agency has authority to bring a civil lawsuit asking a federal court to “provide injunctive relief that orders the MPD to change its policies and practices to avoid further violations.”

The attorney general noted that most of the nation’s “officers do their difficult jobs honorably and lawfully,” and that “good officers welcome accountability.”

“The challenges we face are deeply woven into our history. They did not arise today or last year. Building trust between community and law enforcement will take time and effort by all of us, but we undertake this task with determination and urgency knowing that change cannot wait,” Garland said in closing.

Watch Attorney General Garland make the announcement:

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A jury found Former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin was guilty yesterday of all three charges against him in the killing of George Floyd.

In the streets of Minneapolis, the verdicts led to cries of joy and sighs of relief among those nervously watching the trial, including many people outside the Cup Foods store where Floyd took his final breaths.

Here’s a look at how people reacted around the city:

Newspapers across the US put Minneapolis on the front page on Wednesday, the morning after former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted in the murder of George Floyd. 

The front pages reflect the complicated national response to Chauvin’s conviction: Relief, anguish and muted hope. Here’s a look at some of them:

Minneapolis Star Tribune

Los Angeles Times

The Washington Post

New York Times

Boston Globe

Philadelphia Inquirer

Derek Chauvin is in a restricted housing unit separate from the general population at the Minnesota Correctional Facility-Oak Park Heights, according to Minnesota Department of Corrections spokesperson Sarah Fitzgerald.

Chauvin is expected to be sentenced in eight weeks, and faces up to 40 years in prison for second-degree murder, up to 25 years for third-degree murder and up to 10 years for manslaughter.

The ex-Minneapolis police officer was transferred to Oak Park Heights through an agreement between the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office and the Minnesota Department of Corrections, CNN previously reported. 

The correctional facility is in Stillwater, about 25 miles east of downtown Minneapolis.

Gwen Carr, the mother of Eric Garner, the Black man who died after being put into a chokehold by a New York City police officer, said that the guilty verdict in the trial of former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin signals a pivot “in the right direction.”

In 2014, cellphone video showed Garner saying “I can’t breathe” as a White officer, Daniel Pantaleo, took him to the ground in Staten Island. Pantaleo was never criminally charged in Garner’s death and was fired in August 2019. Carr told CNN’s Brianna Keilar that “it would have been all just swept under the rug, but I was not letting that happen.”

Her son’s case “set the precedent for the George Floyd movement,” Carr said.

Body-camera footage showed Floyd’s last words were “I can’t breathe.”

Carr said that police departments need to work to confront racism and root out “bad apples” in law enforcement. 

“One victory is not enough. We need to stay woke. Don’t just go home and sit on your couch saying, ‘oh well, George Floyd has a victory.’ No, we all need a victory. We have so many of us that didn’t get victories, so we have to work on that, and we have to work on other young men and women not being killed. Who wants their name known after they’re dead? We need to do something now. We don’t want another casualty,” she said.  

Watch:

Derek Chauvin was convicted in the murder of George Floyd, but now there’s a new call for action: Pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.

Authored by Rep. Karen Bass of California, the act has already passed the US House of Representatives. It just needs a debate and a vote in the US Senate.

According to the legislation’s fact sheet, the bill would “save lives by banning chokeholds and no-knock warrants” and would mandate “deadly force be used only as a last resort.”

In the wake of the verdict, many of Floyd’s family members, leaders and activists and President Joe Biden said that now is the time to continue to push that legislation forward.  Supporters of the bill say it would improve law enforcement accountability and work to root out racial bias in policing.

“We can’t stop here,” President Biden said on Tuesday, noting that “in order to deliver real change and reform, we can and we must do more to reduce the likelihood that tragedies like this will ever happen or occur again.”

Here’s what the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act would do:

Democrats now control the Senate, which has a 50-50 partisan split with Vice President Kamala Harris acting as the tie breaker. But most legislation in that chamber still requires 60 votes to overcome a filibuster, and it’s not clear there would be enough Republican support to get the legislation across the finish line in the Senate.

Donald Williams speaks to CNN’s Sara Sidner. 

An eyewitness who testified in the trial of former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin said that the death of George Floyd is a “trauma that I deal with on a regular, on a daily, on a nightly basis.”  

“I witnessed a murder, so … the best thing to do is to call the police on the police” last May as Chauvin placed his knee on Floyd’s neck, Donald Williams told CNN’s Sara Sidner. 

Williams said the experience prompted him to work harder to secure his family’s future.

Williams also said the defense’s questioning of him during the trial tried “to paint me as this angry Black man.”

Chauvin should now face a harsh sentence, Williams said. 

“Put him in jail, throw away the key and make him an example like they would do with any Black man,” he said. 

Watch CNN’s Sara Sidner’s interview with Donald Williams:

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George Floyd's brother, Philonise Floyd, wipes his eyes during a post-verdict news conference in Minneapolis on April 20.

George Floyd’s brother Philonise Floyd said it was the presence of cameras that opened doors for the “historic” verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial.

The video became “a staple for what police officers shouldn’t do,” Floyd said in an explanation for why he thought that the defense’s approach of focusing on Floyd’s opioid addiction didn’t work.

After this verdict, he says he doesn’t want “any more George Floyds.”

“What happened to my brother, it was a crime. He was tortured to death. I don’t want any more George Floyds. I don’t want there to be any more Daunte Wrights. I don’t want there to be any Ahmaud Arberys. We should be able to walk free and not be killed because of the shade of our skin color,” he said, adding that he will be starting an institution for social change. “We’re turning our pain into purpose.”

Floyd also reflected on the verdict and the protesting that led to it, calling it “monumental.”

“People all over the world came out for what was right. I’m talking about put their lives on the line through the pandemic. Covid … And the world let it be known that we all can breathe again because justice for George means freedom for all.”

Watch Philonise Floyd on CNN’s New Day:

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Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis Police officer who kneeled on George Floyd’s neck for over 9 minutes last year, has just been found guilty of all three charges against him – second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

The jury deliberated for more than 10 hours in one of the most consequential trials of the Black Lives Matter era.

We want to know your reaction to the verdict and what you think needs to happen next. Leave your comments in the box below and we may feature some in our upcoming reporting.

The jury’s verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial is not an example of the system working, but instead of “people making the system work,” CNN commentator Van Jones says.

Jones emphasized that the Floyd’s murder was first filed as a medical incident in a police report but people “rose up and said ‘we’re not going to let this go,’” he said, adding that the governor gave the case to Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, a Black man, who put a lot of resources on the table.

Jones remarked that he can now tell his sons that they have a way forward:

George Floyd’s cousin, Paris Stevens, says she is “pleased” but “still saddened at the same time” about Tuesday’s verdict in the Derek Chauvin case. 

Stevens and Floyd’s aunt Angela Harrelson, spoke to CNN’s Adrienne Broaddus in Minneapolis during the early morning hours Wednesday. 

Angela Harrelson gave praise to Darnella Frazier, the 17-year-old who filmed Floyd’s murder at the hands of the former police officer. 

“It really doesn’t surprise me that much, with police cover-ups, because they’ve always had done that, especially towards black and brown people,” Harrelson said. “The sad thing is if it hadn’t been for that 17-year-old girl Darnella, it would have been another black man, that was killed by the police, his own fault, and they would have said, ‘Oh, it was drugs, oh it was this’. And we would never have had the story we would have and wouldn’t be here today talking.”

Harrelson told Broaddus that she is “really, really good” with Chauvin’s potential punishment for killing her nephew.

“We are going to continue this journey, and we must not let his death be his last word. We must not let his death be the last word,” Harrelson said. 

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