NAACP President CEO & President statement on Derek Chauvin sentencing

NAACP President CEO & President released the following statement on the Derek Chauvin sentencing:

Our hearts are with the Floyd family today. While George Floyd’s murderer was held accountable in court, we know that no amount of jail time is going to bring Gianna Floyd’s father back.

Legislation is urgently needed to ensure that what happened to George Floyd over a year ago will not happen again a year from now, and devastate another family. We need a federal standard in policing to protect the lives of those often targeted.

Rev. Al Sharpton Reacts To Derek Chauvin Sentence

Reverend Al Sharpton reacted to Derek Chauvin’s sentence of 22 and a half years in prison for the murder of George Floyd, saying the judge’s order sends “an incomplete message” of accountability.

Rep. Karen Bass: Maximum sentence needed for Derek Chauvin

During an appearance on ABC’s “This Week,” Bass told host George Stephanopoulos, Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.) said that the "maximum" sentence is "absolutely needed" after a jury convicted former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin of two counts of murder and one count of manslaugher in George Floyd's death.

On the significance of the Derek Chauvin verdict, Rep. Karen Bass tells @gstephanopoulos "I was definitely relieved," adding: "We need the verdict to be at the maximum level." https://t.co/UpcGAa1Mv3 pic.twitter.com/siZLrQgnyP

— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) April 25, 2021

NAACP PRESIDENT AND CEO, DERRICK JOHNSON STATEMENT ON VERDICT IN DEREK CHAUVIN TRIAL

NAACP President and CEO, Derrick Johnson released the following statement on the guilty verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial:

“While justice landed Derek Chauvin behind bars for murdering George Floyd, no amount of justice will bring Gianna’s father back. The same way a reasonable police officer would never suffocate an unarmed man to death, a reasonable justice system would recognize its roots in white supremacy and end qualified immunity. Police are here to protect, not lynch. We will not rest until all in our community have the right to breathe.”

Judge reinstates third-degree murder charge against Derek Chauvin

Hennepin County District Judge Peter Cahill said Thursday that he will reinstate a third-degree murder charge against the former Minneapolis police officer accused of killing George Floyd.

Chauvin, who knelt on Floyd's neck for about nine minutes May 25, is already charged with second-degree murder, which carries a maximum sentence of 40 years, as well as second-degree manslaughter. The third-degree murder charge carries a maximum sentence of 25 years.

Cahill dismissed the charge last fall because he believed that the circumstances of Chauvin's case did not fit, but an appellate ruling in an unrelated case provided new grounds for it days before the trial started and ordered him to reconsider.

An appeals court ruled Friday said Cahill erred when he rejected a prosecution motion to reinstate the third-degree murder charge against Chauvin in October. A three-judge panel said Cahill should have followed the precedent set by the appeals court last month when it affirmed the third-degree murder conviction of former officer Mohamed Noor in the 2017 shooting death of Justine Ruszczyk Damond, an Australian woman had called 911 to report a possible sexual assault happening.

In a statement Wednesday, Minnesota Attorney General, Keith Ellison, whose office is prosecuting Chauvin, said: "We believe the charge of 3rd-degree murder is fair and appropriate. We look forward to putting it before the jury, along with charges of 2nd-degree unintentional murder and 2nd-degree manslaughter."

[SOURCE NBC NEWS]