As the nation awaits a verdict by the jury in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, President Biden said on Tuesday he is “praying the verdict is the right verdict.”
Briefly speaking with reporters at the White House, the president discussed his call on Monday with the family of George Floyd, the Black man in Minnesota who died after he was seen on video – handcuffed – saying “I can’t breathe” as Chauvin kneeled on Floyd’s neck. His death sparked nationwide protests last spring and summer over police brutality against minorities and systemic racism.
Chauvin is charged with second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in Floyd’s death. He has pleaded not guilty to all three charges.