COLUMBUS, Ohio – Former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of murder in the May 2020 death of George Floyd, Jr. Tuesday.
Soon after the jury released their verdict, Ohio Republican Governor Mike DeWine released the following statement:
A jury in Minneapolis has spoken by convicting Derek Chauvin of second and third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the death of George Floyd.
Our system of justice worked. The jury members listened to both sides, weighed the evidence, and came to this verdict.
As we go forward as a nation, we must learn from the tragic death of George Floyd.
Chauvin, a white male police officer, was captured on video apprehending Floyd, a black male, kneeling on his neck and back for over nine minutes before Floyd passed out and later died.
The incident rocked racial tensions in Minneapolis and around the nation last summer. Consequently, protesters filled streets, sometimes becoming violent to police officers and bystanders, while vandalizing and burning buildings. The summer of violence in 2020 resulted in over $1 billion in insurance claims – making it the most destructive in insurance history.
It is not clear whether Chauvin’s conviction will be appealed. However, Hennenpin County District Judge Peter Cahill said on Monday that comments by U.S. Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA-43) could lead to the case being overturned.
Waters, who was in Minneapolis protesting the police killing of Daunte Wright, said “We’re looking for a guilty verdict,” and, “If we don’t, we cannot go away.” Waters then said, “We’ve got to get more confrontational.”
Judge Cahill said, “I wish elected officials would stop talking about this case, especially in a manner that is disrespectful to the rule of law, and to the judicial branch, and our function.”
Democratic President Joe Biden said he was “praying” for a Chauvin conviction.
In January, DeWine criticized then-President Trump for contesting the election, which DeWine said was “starting a fire that threatens to burn down our democracy.” He then blamed Trump for the events that unfolded at the U.S. Capitol on January 6 – “this incendiary speech, yesterday, the one he gave preceding the march, he gave to the protestors, served only to fan those flames, encouraging the mob behavior that ensued. Yesterday’s acts were shameful and all Americans must denounce them.”
DeWine did not make similar statements to U.S. Senators Warren (D-MA), Sanders (ID-VT), Harris (D-CA) or House Speaker Pelosi (D-CA) when they made inciteful comments last year while riots and violence erupted across America.
The Star emailed DeWine Press Secretary Dan Tierney to ask whether the Governor was going to issue a statement on comments made by Rep. Waters and President Biden regarding the Chauvin trial. He did not respond by press time.
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Jack Windsor is Statehouse Reporter at The Ohio Star. Windsor is also an independent investigative reporter. Follow Jack on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
