Jury: Derek Chauvin guilty on all counts in George Floyd killing

MINNEAPOLIS — After 10 hours of deliberations over two days, a jury Tuesday found former Officer Derek Chauvin guilty on all counts in the death of George Floyd, the Black man who was pinned to the pavement with a knee on his neck in a case that set off a furious re-examination of racism and policing in the U.S.

The verdict was read late in the afternoon in a city on edge against the possibility of more unrest like that erupted last spring. The courthouse was ringed with concrete barriers and razor wire, and thousands of National Guard troops and law enforcement officers were brought in ahead of the verdict. Some businesses boarded up with plywood.

But as the verdict was read, sounds of clapping and yelling rang out outside the courthouse.

Floyd died last May after Chauvin, a 45-year-old now-fired white officer, pinned his knee on or close to the 46-year-old Black man's neck for about 9 1/2 minutes as Floyd gasped that he couldn't breathe and onlookers yelled at Chauvin to get off.

The jury, made up of six white people and six Black or multiracial people, weighed charges of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, with convictions on some, none or all of the charges possible. The most serious charge carries up to 40 years in prison.

The city has been on edge in recent days not just over the Chauvin case but over the deadly police shooting of a 20-year-old Black man, Daunte Wright, in the nearby Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Center on April 11.

Earlier in the day Tuesday, President Joe Biden weighed in by saying he believes the case is "overwhelming."

He said that he had spoken to Floyd's family on Monday and "can only imagine the pressure and anxiety they're feeling."

"They're a good family and they're calling for peace and tranquillity no matter what that verdict is," Biden said. "I'm praying the verdict is the right verdict. I think it's overwhelming, in my view. I wouldn't say that unless the jury was sequestered now."

The president has repeatedly denounced Floyd's death but previously stopped short of commenting on the trial itself.

This is a developing story and will be updated.