Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has been sentenced to 270 months or 22.5 years for the murder of George Floyd. His lawyers were aiming for a lesser sentence like probation, but prosecutors sought a 30-year sentence.  

PREVIOUS: Derek Chauvin to Be Sentenced Friday for Murder of George Floyd  

Floyd was killed in May 2020 after officers with the Minneapolis Police Department confronted him for an alleged counterfeit $20 bill. The moments Chauvin placed his knee on Floyd’s neck for more than eight minutes were widely circulated on social media due to video recorded by Darnella Frazier.   

RELATED: Darnella Frazier, Teen Who Recorded Murder of George Floyd, Awarded a Pulitzer Prize  

After weeks of witness and expert testimony, the jurors found Chauvin guilty on all counts after one day of deliberation. Judge Peter Cahill ruled there were aggravating factors in the case that were proven beyond a reasonable doubt, including abuse of power, treating Floyd with particular cruelty, the presence of children and group participation in a crime.    

Chauvin and the other three officers involved in Floyd’s death, Thomas Lane, J. Kueng and Tou Thao, were also indicted on U.S. civil rights charges. A federal grand jury accused the officers of violating Floyd’s constitutional rights while he was restrained and face down on the pavement as he begged to breathe.  

RELATED: Former officers involved in Floyd murder indicted on US civil rights charges  

If you or someone you know is struggling from trauma triggered by this story, resources are available here.