Derek Chauvin Sentenced to 22.5 Years in Prison for Murder of George Floyd

Months after he was found guilty for the death of George Floyd, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has been sentenced.

On Friday, Chauvin was sentenced to 22 and a half years in prison.

After the sentencing, Floyd’s sister Bridgett Floyd said in a statement, “The sentence handed down today to the Minneapolis police officer who killed my brother George Floyd shows that matters of police brutality are finally being taken seriously. However, we have a long way to go and many changes to make before Black and Brown people finally feel like they are being treated fairly and humanely by law enforcement in this country."

“Our focus at the George Floyd Memorial Foundation will now move to building support to ensure that the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act becomes law and brings with it the hope for the substantive change that we need so desperately in this country," the statement continued.

Just before he was sentenced, Chauvin spoke briefly in court, saying, “I want to give my condolences to the Floyd family. There's going to be some other information in the future that would be of interest and I hope things will give you some peace of mind."

It is unclear what Chauvin was referencing.

Last year, Chauvin was arrested and charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter after video taken by bystanders showed him with his knee on Floyd's neck during an arrest. Floyd said he could not breathe and pleaded for help, but later died.