A Minneapolis jury has reached a verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former police officer charged with killing George Floyd, whose death last year set off global protests over race and policing.
The verdict will be announced between 4:30pm and 5pm Eastern Time, court officials said on Tuesday.
The trial in Minneapolis has been one of the most closely watched US court cases in years, and comes at a time of calls for greater accountability when police kill men and women in the line of duty. Jury selection began March 9, and opening statements began March 29. Jurors have been deliberating since Monday evening.
Chauvin has been charged with second- and third-degree murder, as well as manslaughter. Last May, Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes while arresting him for allegedly using a counterfeit $20 bill.
The city has expected protests after the verdict, regardless of the jury’s decision. The government centre in downtown Minneapolis has been barricaded with a fence topped with concertina wire since March. The National Guard increased troops in the metro area last week following civil unrest in a northern suburb after police shot a 20-year-old black man during a traffic stop.
Six of the 12 jurors were white, four were black, and two were multiracial, according to the Minnesota newspaper the Star Tribune.
The trial revolved around two issues: whether Chauvin’s use of force was justified and the precise cause of Floyd’s death.
Minneapolis police chief Medaria Arradondo took the stand to condemn Chauvin’s actions, while defence attorney Eric Nelson said force can be “awful but lawful” and that Chauvin should be judged on what any reasonable officer would have done in similar circumstances.
Prosecution witnesses primarily cited asphyxia as Floyd’s cause of death, and medical examiner Andrew Baker said he died from cardiopulmonary arrest while being restrained by law enforcement. A lawyer for Chauvin said Floyd died of cardiac arrhythmia, pointing to prior health problems and drug use.
Race has been a central element of the trial and the attention around it, although both prosecutors and defence have tried to separate the court case from its social context. Police are rarely charged when they kill someone in the line of duty, let alone convicted.