"Historic," Floyd's lawyer after Chauvin sentenced to over 22 years

Former policeman Derek Chauvin was sentenced to 22 and a half years in prison on Friday for the murder of African American George Floyd, the killing that sparked America's biggest demonstrations for racial justice in decades. With good behavior, Chauvin, 45, could be paroled after serving two-thirds of his sentence, or about 15 year. Chauvin gave his  "condolences" to the Floyd family in a Minneapolis court, without apologizing, before Judge Peter Cahill handed down a lesser sentence than the 30 years the prosecution had sought. "This (jail term) is based on your abuse of a position of trust and authority and also the particular cruelty shown to George Floyd," Cahill told Chauvin, who listened impassively.

The Floyd family's lawyer called the sentencing a "historic" step towards racial reconciliation in the United States. Civil rights activist Al Sharpton said it sent "a message of accountability," despite being less than what the family wanted. Chauvin and three colleagues arrested Floyd, 46, in May 2020 on suspicion of having passed a fake $20 bill in a store in Minneapolis, a northern city of around 420,000. They handcuffed him and pinned him to the ground in the street. In parallel, the four men also face federal charges of violating Floyd's constitutional rights. No date has yet been set for that trial.