Updated at 3:45 p.m. E.T.
Jurors have reached a verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial. The New York Times reports it will be read between 3:30 and 4:00 p.m. C.S.T.
Jurors in the trial of former Minnesota police officer Derek Chauvin begin their first full day of deliberations following yesterday’s closing arguments.
Chauvin has been charged in the death of George Floyd, who died last May while in police custody. He faces charges of second-degree murder, as well as lesser charges of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in relation to Floyd’s death. The jury will have to determine whether Chauvin used unreasonable force on Floyd during the arrest, and whether his actions were a substantial cause in Floyd’s death.
The jurors — seven women and five men, six white and six persons who are Black or biracial — deliberated for four hours yesterday following the closing arguments. During those arguments, the defense reiterated their case that Chauvin’s use of force was justifiable in the circumstances, and that Floyd’s death was the result of drug use and a pre-existing heart condition. However, prosecutors argued that Chauvin used unreasonable force that exceeded police protocols, resulting in Floyd’s death.
With a verdict in the case looming, security forces are on alert in Minneapolis and the surrounding areas. Stores have been boarded and local schools have switched to remote learning. National Guard forces have also been deployed to parts of Minneapolis’ downtown center.
The AP reports that around 300 protestors marched in the streets shortly after the jury received the case yesterday for their first round of deliberations.
Floyd’s death last summer sparked a wave of Black Lives Matter protests and calls for changes to policing practices. In addition to the high-profile Chauvin trial, protests were again sparked in recent weeks following the shooting death of Daunte Wright, who was shot during a routine traffic stop in a Minneapolis suburb after an officer mistook her gun for a taser.
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