Nearly a year after the video of George Floyd’s death went viral and sparked global protests, a jury on Tuesday convicted former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin of murder and manslaughter in Floyd’s death. The conviction — which found Chauvin guilty of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter — was stunning in its rarity. Chauvin, a White man, faces up to 40 years in prison. Floyd, a Black man, was 46 when he was killed.
The verdict was a culmination of a case that’d prompted a national reckoning over police violence and racial justice — and drove millions of people to protest. During the trial, the fatal shooting of 20-year-old Daunte Wright in Brooklyn Center, Minn., renewed calls for justice. And on Tuesday, the fatal shooting of 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant by Columbus police stoked grief and anger.
Still, many expressed relief and hope after hearing the Chauvin verdict. Here’s a look at those reactions across the nation.
Courteney Ross, Floyd’s girlfriend, reacts to the verdict outside the Hennepin County Government Center on Tuesday. Ross, 45, was a witness during the trial.
A woman cries while taking a photo of a mural honoring Floyd at Scott Food Mart in the 3rd Ward of Houston.
Joseph Ravago, left, and Kamaile Elderts watch the news from the courtroom in Minneapolis at Black Lives Matter Plaza in D.C.
People react outside the house of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti (D) after a guilty verdict was announced.
A couple embrace at Black Lives Matter Plaza near the White House.
People react after hearing the verdict at George Floyd Square, the intersection in Minneapolis where Floyd was killed.
A woman chants into a megaphone outside the Hennepin County Government Center as the verdict is announced.
Patience Zelanga, right, is embraced at George Floyd Square after hearing the verdict.
Moriah Nelson, 26, and Amani Andrews, 27, react to the verdict while relaxing at Meridian Hill Park, or Malcom X Park, in D.C. The women were apprehensive before deciding to visit the park for fear of the outcome of the trial. “Everyone was preparing for the worst. I feel like anything is possible now,” Nelson said of the guilty verdict.
AniYa A talks on her cellphone as she walks through Times Square in New York after the guilty verdict.
Protesters march in Brooklyn.
