The jury in the case of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has reached a verdict and will announce it between 3:30 and 4:00 p.m. CDT.
Chauvin is accused of killing African American resident George Floyd during his arrest in May 2020, and was charged with second- and third-degree murder as well as manslaughter. Video of Chauvin using his knee to pin Floyd to the ground until Floyd lost consciousness sparked massive riots in Minneapolis and in cities across the U.S.
Local media reports indicated that officers have begun to secure government buildings ahead of the verdict’s announcement. The Minnesota National Guard called up 3,000 troops over the weekend to help secure Minneapolis from potential rioting.
Businesses around Hennepin County Government Center have boarded up windows in anticipation of the verdict, and Minneapolis public schools will move to all-remote learning from Wednesday through Friday.
“As appropriate and as they are comfortable, teachers will give students the opportunity to process their feelings, how this feels to them personally and how they are impacted by having the eyes of the world on Minneapolis,” Superintendent Ed Graff wrote in a letter on the school district’s website.
Various community leaders have called for calm from their constituents in Minneapolis.
“Please stop this violence. Don’t tear up our city any longer,” Reverend Ian Bethel of New Beginnings Baptist Church said at a press conference sponsored by the city.
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