Chauvin Verdict: Lakewood Mayor Says 'Justice Delivered'

LAKEWOOD, OH — Lakewood Mayor Meghan George believes a jury "delivered justice" in the Derek Chauvin trial.

Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer, faced third-degree murder, second-degree manslaughter, and second-degree unintentional murder charges in George Floyd's death. Video of Floyd's death prompted national unrest in May 2020.

“Lakewood and our nation reacted to the death of George Floyd last spring. Now a jury has delivered justice," George said in a statement.

Floyd died May 25, 2020 in Minneapolis. Officers were sent to investigate a "forgery in progress" and arrested Floyd. He was in police custody at the time of his death, and video of his arrest shows Chauvin kneeling on Floyd's neck for nearly 9 minutes. All four officers who were at the scene, including Chauvin, were fired the next day, and have since been criminally charged.

On Tuesday, Chauvin's long trial came to an end and he was found guilty of all charges. George believes that verdict is a step in the right direction.

"We have a long way to go. We are a long, uninterrupted chain of righted wrongs away from fixing our society’s underlying racism, but today, in this instance, we are one step closer," George said.