Seeking justice
A timeline since the death of George Floyd
Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
It’s been days since George Floyd took his last breaths with a knee on his neck. Since then, protestors have marched and clashed with police, politicians and local leaders have made promises to hurting communities and America has had to come to terms with generational inequities that have left many Black and brown people at a disadvantage to their White counterparts.
The highly publicized trial of Derek Chauvin resulted in the jury finding Chauvin guilty on all charges, a conviction that reverberated through the country and across the world. In June 2021, a judge sentenced Chauvin to 22 and half years in prison.
Here’s everything that led to the sentencing.
One week of chaos and anguish
In the week between May 25 and June 1, 2020, a video of Floyd’s death went viral and protests erupted across the US.
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May 26
The four Minneapolis officers involved in Floyd’s death are fired. The officers involved in the incident were identified by Minneapolis police as: Chauvin, Thomas Lane, Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng, according to the police website.
Protests begin in Minneapolis as demonstrators clash with police. Some protests turn violent as riots begin in Minneapolis, leaving businesses destroyed in their wake.
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May 27
Chauvin is identified as the officer who had his knee on Floyd’s neck. At night, protests turn violent in Minneapolis with rioting and looting.
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May 28
Gov. Tim Walz signs executive order activating the Minnesota National Guard as protests erupt in the Twin Cities. Protesters light the outside of Minneapolis Police Department’s Third Precinct on fire.
Protests also begin to arise in other cities like Atlanta, Washington, DC and New York.
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May 29
Chauvin is charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter. He was also later charged with second-degree murder.
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June 1
Experts hired by Floyd's family and the Hennepin County Medical Examiner conclude his death was a homicide, but they differ on what caused it.
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Videos reveal panic from all sides during Floyd’s arrest
As the world awaited more information regarding Floyd’s death, videos from the body cameras of the officers at the scene painted a picture of escalated panic from officers, bystanders and Floyd himself during the May 25 arrest.
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June 3
The other three officers in Floyd’s killing – Lane, Kueng and Thao – are charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.
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June 5
Minneapolis City Council approves restraining order against police, meaning the use of chokeholds by police is banned and also requires police to report and intervene if the banned practice is used.
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June 9
Floyd is buried next to his mother in his native Houston. The same day, a Hennepin County judge approved the restraining order to ban chokeholds by police officers.
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August 3
The Daily Mail, based in London, obtains footage of the body cameras worn by two of the former Minneapolis police officers involved in the arrest of Floyd. The footage is released and shows a panicked Floyd struggling with officers while in the back of a squad car in the minutes before his death, saying, "I can't breathe."
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August 10
Police body camera footage showing Minneapolis police pointing a gun at Floyd and struggling with him during his fatal arrest is released by Hennepin County Court.
The footage, roughly an hour in length, comes from the body cameras of former officers Lane and Kueng, who were the first to respond to a store where Floyd was accused of passing a fake $20 bill.
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August 13
Body camera video from former officer Thao is released by Hennepin County Court. The video shows a crowd of bystanders becoming increasingly upset as police hold down Floyd, pleading with officers to get off of him and check his pulse.
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August 14
A video interview with former officer Thao is released and shows him telling federal investigators the call for backup on May 25 sounded “like it was urgent.”
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Legal proceedings begin
Chauvin is granted bail and a judge allows him to leave the state for his safety during this period. Protesters and activists alike are angered by these developments and take to the streets again.
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August 28
Former Minneapolis police officer Chauvin asks a judge to dismiss murder charges against him in the death of George Floyd.
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September 7
A little over 100 days since Floyd died, protests are still raging across the US.
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September 18
Minneapolis City Council unanimously votes to rename a street after George Floyd.
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October 7
Chauvin posts bond on $1 million bail. Protesters take to the streets of Minneapolis to express outrage of Chauvin’s release.
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October 9
The Hennepin County Court posts on its website saying Chauvin will be allowed to leave Minnesota and live in a neighboring state due to safety concerns stemming from his involvement in Floyd’s death.
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October 21
Cahill drops a third-degree murder charge against Chauvin, but denies his attorney’s motion to dismiss two other charges. Cahill also denied motions to dismiss charges against the other three officers.
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Details of the trial are hammered out
Will the four ex-cops be tried together? Who are the jurors? Will Chauvin face a third-degree murder charge? Officials have had to deliberate over these questions before any trial could begin.
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November 5
Cahill rules the ex-cops in Floyd’s death will be tried at the same time in the county on March 8. Cahill also rejected a defense attorney’s request for a change of venue in the trial of the four former officers.
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January 12, 2021
Cahill rules Chauvin will be tried separately from the other three officers because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Jury selection in Chauvin's trial will take place March 8 to 26, according to the ruling. Opening statements will begin "no earlier than March 29," the judge wrote.
The other officers will be tried together starting on August 23.
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March 11
Judge Cahill reinstates the third-degree murder charge against Chauvin after a Minnesota Court of Appeals ordered Cahill to reconsider the motion.
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March 23
A jury of 15 people is selected for Chauvin’s trial. It takes two weeks to select the jurors, nine of whom are White, four are Black and two are mixed race, according to how the court says the jurors identified themselves.
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April 20
Derek Chauvin was found guilty on all charges in the death of George Floyd, including second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. The jury deliberated for more than 10 hours over the course of two days.
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May 4
Eric Nelson, Chauvin's attorney, filed a motion for a new trial in which he outlined alleged mistakes made by Judge Peter Cahill, state prosecutors and the he claims jury that violated Chauvin's constitutional rights to a due process and a fair trial.
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June 25
Judge Peter Cahill sentenced Chauvin to 22 and half years in prison. Under Minnesota law, Chauvin will have to serve two-thirds of his sentence, or 15 years, and he will be eligible for supervised release for the remaining seven and a half years.
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