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Chauvin Gets 22.5 Year Sentence In George Floyd’s Murder

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Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced Friday to 22 and a half years in prison in the death of George Floyd.

45-year-old Chauvin was convicted in April on several charges including third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

Floyd’s daughter and Chauvin’s mother read victim impact statements in court while Chauvin himself addressed the court briefly offering condolences to the Floyd family but said ongoing litigation prevented him from saying more.

46-year-old Floyd died last May after Chauvin and three other police officers knelt on his neck and back for more than 9 minutes.

George Floyd repeatedly said “I can’t breathe” which became a rallying cry for global protests around the world against police brutality.

In a statement, Floyd’s sister, Bridgett said Chauvin’s sentence “shows that matters of police brutality are finally being taken seriously”.

Floyd family lawyer Ben Crump tweeted “this historic sentence brings the Floyd family and our nation one step closer to healing by delivering closure and accountability.”

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said he hopes Derek Chauvin uses his long sentence to reflect on the choices he made on May 25th, 2020.

 

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PM Addresses Gun Control, Budget & School Resumption

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There are still some next steps for the federal government to consider following their ban of all assault-style firearms. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says there are a number of considerations they’ll have to consider going forward.

“There are many other steps and details that need to be worked out including how the buyback program will work and whether or not there will be grandfathering in of weapons there are things we will have to address as we move forward with legislation,” Trudeau said.

The PM notes they’ll be working with the opposition on these gun control-related issues.

While the federal government has its hands full with the pandemic, it also is considering how best to inform the public about their spending. Trudeau says they are being open and transparent about their spending but the period of uncertainty makes it hard to provide a normal budget or fiscal update.

“What the economy could look like six months from now, three months from now, in the coming weeks it’s hard to say what that will mean for our economy,” Trudeau said.

Trudeau adds they will continue to look for ways to share fiscal updates with the public.

Reporters also asked the Prime Minister about what he would like to see the provincial governments do to ensure students are safe once they return to school. Trudeau said he refuses to weigh in on provincial matters but does say as a parent there are some measures he would like to see taken.

“What are the kids going to do at recess and lunch, how many kids will be in a classroom, these are things that all parents are worried about and are looking to the provinces and school boards to address,” Trudeau said.

The Prime Minister says those are the type of physical distancing issues that parents will want to see answered before they send their kids back to school.