Photos: Relief, joy in the US as ex-cop is convicted in George Floyd murder

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted on April 20 of murdering George Floyd, a milestone in the fraught racial history of the United States and a rebuke of law enforcement's treatment of Black Americans. In a confrontation captured on video, Chauvin, a white veteran of the police force, pushed his knee into the neck of Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man in handcuffs, for more than nine minutes on May 25, 2020. Chauvin and three fellow officers were attempting to arrest Floyd, accused of using a fake $20 bill to buy cigarettes at a grocery store.

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Published on Apr 21, 2021 04:15 pm IST 12 Photos
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Local residents Mileesha Smith, Michael Wilson and Alfonzo Williams embrace after the verdict in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, found guilty of the death of George Floyd, at George Floyd Square in Minneapolis, Minnesota on April 20.(Adrees Latif / REUTERS)

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A person reacts after the verdict in the death of George Floyd, in front of Hennepin County Government Center, in Minneapolis on April 20. A 12-member jury found Chauvin, 45, guilty of all three charges of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter after considering three weeks of testimony from 45 witnesses, including bystanders, police officials and medical experts.(Carlos Barria / REUTERS)

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Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin reacts while listening to a jury that found him guilty of all charges in his trial for second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis on April 20.(REUTERS)

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Derek Chauvin is led away in handcuffs after a jury found him guilty of all charges in his trial for second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis on April 20. Deliberations in the conviction began on April 19 and lasted just over 10 hours.(REUTERS)

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Philonise Floyd (L), Attorney Ben Crump (C) and Reverend Al Sharpton (R) react following the verdict in Minneapolis on April 20. George Floyd's brother Philonise, speaking at a news conference with several family members, said: "We are able to breathe again" after the verdict, but he added the fight for justice was not over.(Kerem Yucel / AFP)

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