Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has been sentenced to 22-and-a-half years in prison for the murder of George Floyd.
Judge Peter Cahill handed down the sentence to Chauvin, 45, who fatally pinned Floyd to the ground during an arrest in May 2020. Chauvin held his knee on the neck of the 46-year-old for nine minutes and 29 seconds, ignoring Floyd's claims that he couldn't breathe.
Floyd's death triggered protests across the United States, after a video of the incident circulated online, placing renewed emphasis on racial justice issues around the world.
Chauvin, who pleaded not guilty in the trial, was convicted in April of all three charges: second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
Watch: Rev. Al Sharpton speaks at George Floyd's memorial. Post continues below.
Judge Peter Cahill imposed more than the 12-and-a-half-year sentence prescribed under state guidelines for second-degree murder, citing "[Chauvin's] abuse of a position of trust and authority and also the particular cruelty shown to George Floyd".
The judge also noted the sentence was not based on "emotion or sympathy", but he acknowledged the pain it caused all the families involved, especially the Floyd family.