Name: A former Minneapolis police officer called Derek Chauvin's guilty verdict a 'tragedy,' saying he fears it will start a 'new trend' of sending cops to prison
Brand: insider.com
SKU: insider-com-132
Availability: OnlineOnly

critic

A former Minneapolis police officer called Derek Chauvin's guilty verdict a 'tragedy,' saying he fears it will start a 'new trend' of sending cops to prison

preview

Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. It indicates a way to close an interaction, or dismiss a notification.An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders. It often indicates a user profile.Redeem nowSign up for our weekday newsletter, packed with original analysis, news, and trends — delivered right to your inbox.Something is loading.What was a day of justice for the Black Lives Matter movement was a day of disappointment for one former Minneapolis police officer, who told Insider he was shocked by and called it a "tragedy."The former officer spoke on the condition of anonymity, but his identity is known to Insider. He worked for the Minneapolis Police Department for nearly three decades before days before Chauvin's trial began.Insider spoke with him less than 24 hours after a jury found his former colleague in the May 2020 killing of George Floyd. Floyd, a Black man, died after Chauvin knelt on his neck for minutes while trying to arrest him on suspicion of passing a fake $20 bill. Floyd's death reinvigorated the Black Lives Matter movement and set off worldwide protests.In a , the former officer said he believed Floyd died of a drug overdose because of the amount of fentanyl that was in his system, but experts testified at the trial that Floyd's death was because of a caused by Chauvin's pressure on his neck.The former officer said the jury finding Chauvin guilty on all three charges was "not at all" what he expected, and called it a "tragedy.""The jury got it wrong, I believe. But you gotta respect their decision," the former officer said.Since the verdict was announced Tuesday afternoon, the former officer has been speaking to former coworkers, who also expressed disappointment with the trial, he said."They all believe that Derek didn't stand a chance at a fair trial," he said.He added that one of the coworkers described Chauvin as a "sacrificial lamb."The former officer said he was especially shocked at how quickly the jury deliberated — just over 10 hours — before delivering the guilty verdict."When they came back that quick, I knew he was screwed. I knew it," he said. "I've never seen, in all my years of work, a jury come back that quick on such serious charges. Never."He said he felt the jury "was under tremendous pressure to 'make it right' for George Floyd."The courthouse and surrounding area were throughout the trial, and the jury was sequestered at a hotel throughout its deliberations.The former officer said he's glad that he left policing. He said he believes the Chauvin decision could result in more officers going to jail in the future, specifically the officers involved in recent police killings in ; , Minnesota; and ."It's the new trend now. They're sending cops to prison," he said.The three other officers who were at the scene during Chauvin's fatal arrest — Tou Thao, Thomas Lane, and J. Alexander Kueng — are to be tried together later this year.When asked what he would say to Chauvin and his family, if given the opportunity, the former officer said he would want them to know he's sorry."The whole thing is a tragedy," he said. "George Floyd dying is a tragedy for sure. What happened to Chauvin's family and his wife is horrible." (Kellie Chauvin last May, which was granted in February.)"The whole thing is just sad. It's really upsetting to me," the former officer said. "It's a lose-lose deal for everybody."Sign up for notifications from Insider! Stay up to date with what you want to know.Subscribe to push notificationsAn icon in the shape of a lightning bolt.Keep readingIt indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options.Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. It indicates a way to close an interaction, or dismiss a notification.

Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. It indicates a way to close an interaction, or dismiss a notification.An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders. It often indicates a user profile.Redeem nowSign up for our weekday newsletter, packed with original analysis, news, and trends — delivered right to your inbox.Something is loading.What was a day of justice for the Black Lives Matter movement was a day of disappointment for one former Minneapolis police officer, who told Insider he was shocked by and called it a "tragedy."The former officer spoke on the condition of anonymity, but...

public

Ashley Collman

What you want to know. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Visit our homepage for the day's top stories.

A former Minneapolis police officer called Derek Chauvin's guilty verdict a 'tragedy,' saying he fears it will start a 'new trend' of sending cops to prison

No article scores yet.

CRITIC REVIEWS

PUBLIC REVIEWS