‘Will things actually change?’ Even as people flocked to downtown Minneapolis to celebrate the guilty verdict in the case of former police officer Derek Chauvin, many of Minnesota’s elected leaders echoed community sentiment and vowed the state’s fight for racial justice wouldn’t end with this case.
"I would not call today's verdict justice, however, because justice implies true restoration," said Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison. "But it is accountability, which is the first step towards justice, and now the cause of justice is in your hands."
The verdict of guilty on all three counts of murder and manslaughter in the death of George Floyd was a victory in a state that previously sent only one officer to prison for killing someone while on duty — and had never held a white officer criminally liable for killing a Black man.
5 key moments that shaped the Chauvin trial The trial of ex-Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin gripped the Twin Cities and the nation for weeks before concluding Tuesday in Chauvin’s conviction for murder and manslaughter in the killing of George Floyd.
Inside the hundreds of hours of testimony and video were moments of high drama. Here are five that MPR News reporters covering the trial thought were especially significant.
