British Prime Minister Boris Johnson joined those expressing a favorable view of a U.S. jury’s decision finding former police officer Derek Chauvin guilty in the death of George Floyd.“I was appalled by the death of George Floyd and welcome this verdict. My thoughts tonight are with George Floyd’s family and friends,” Johnson tweeted Tuesday.This can be a giant step forward in the march toward justice in America. FILE – Republican Senator John Coryn of Texas.Senator John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, objected to Biden’s comments.  “It was a verdict against one officer based on individual facts in one case,” Cornyn tweeted.  “I accept the verdict. No need to slander law enforcement generally, and the vast majority of police officers that risk their lives to protect public safety.”  Senator Tim Scott, a South Carolina Republican, welcomed the verdict and said it is time to “help repair the tenuous relationship between law enforcement and Black and minority Americans.”    “While this outcome should give us renewed confidence in the integrity of our justice system, we know there is more work to be done to ensure the bad apples do not define all officers — the vast majority of whom put on the uniform each day with integrity and servant hearts,” Scott said in a statement.  Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin is led away in handcuffs after a jury found him guilty of all charges in his trial for murder in the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, April 20, 2021.The National Fraternal Order of Police, which has more than 350,000 members in the United States, said the justice system “worked as it should.”    “The trial was fair and due process was served.  We hope and expect that all of our fellow citizens will respect the rule of law and remain peaceful tonight and in the days to come,” the group said in a statement. FILE – Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, listens during a news conference. Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, a Massachusetts Democrat, said true justice in the case “would be George Floyd, alive today, at home with his fiancé, children, and siblings.” “We can’t bring George Floyd back, but we can & we must legislate to dismantle the systems that create the conditions for police brutality & instead secure resources for the trauma-informed, community-based solutions our people demand, deserve & require,” Pressley tweeted.  The verdict
The 12-member jury — comprising six white people and six people who are Black or multiracial — spent about 10 hours discussing information from the three-week trial before making its decision.Chauvin was found guilty of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.  Sentencing in the case will be held in two months, officials said. Floyd was suspected of passing a counterfeit $20 bill at a corner market last May.  As Chauvin and three other officers attempted to arrest him, Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck for about nine minutes.  Bystander video of the scene was widely shared, and Floyd’s death sparked protests against racism and police brutality in many U.S. cities and in other parts of the world.  Since the trial began, crowds had gathered near the Hennepin County Government Center where the trial was held, and at the spot where Floyd died. They cheered when the verdict was announced.   A crowd gathers at George Floyd Square after a guilty verdict was announced at the trial of former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin for the 2020 death of Floyd, Tuesday, April 20, 2021, in Minneapolis. Former Minneapolis police Officer Derek…Reaction in Minneapolis Near the intersection where Floyd was pinned, Janay Henry, who lives nearby, said she was grateful and relieved.      “I feel grounded. I can feel my feet on the concrete,” she told The Associated Press, adding that she was looking forward to the “next case with joy and optimism and strength.”     In a growing traffic jam, Whitney Lewis leaned out of a car window waving a Black Lives Matter flag. “Justice was served,” the Minneapolis resident told the AP. “It means George Floyd can now rest.”   From left, Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del., Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Ill., monitor their mobile phones for the verdict in George Floyd murder trial.After dismissing the jury Monday, Judge Peter Cahill criticized California Democratic Congresswoman Maxine Waters for recent remarks regarding the trial. Waters told protesters Saturday in Minnesota to “stay on the street” and to become “more active” and “more confrontational” if Chauvin is found not guilty. Cahill called her comments “abhorrent” and that and they could lead to a verdict being appealed and overturned.   “I wish elected officials would stop talking about this case, especially in a manner that’s disrespectful to the rule of law and to the judicial branch and our function,” Cahill said.     Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives Tuesday narrowly defeated a resolution brought by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to censure Waters.Mia Bush contributed to this report
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