Week In a Nutshell, 4/23/21

April 23, 2021 | Updated Feb 22 2023

A mural depicting the late George Floyd at George Floyd Memorial Square in Minneapolis, MN. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

By Jake Kaplan

Here are some of the legal news stories making headlines this week:

On Tuesday, a jury in Minneapolis found former police officer Derek Chauvin guilty of murdering George Floyd.

The jury convicted Chauvin on all three counts — second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter.
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris addressed the nation following the announcement of the verdict. Biden called the guilty verdict “a step forward,” and said that systemic racism is “a stain on our nation’s soul.”
Next, Chauvin will be sentenced. Judge Peter Cahill announced that he expects to begin sentencing hearings in about eight weeks. Chauvin faces a maximum jail sentence of 40 years, but the sentencing guidelines recommend around 12.5 years, given that Chauvin has no criminal record (Chauvin will only be sentenced on the most serious charge, second-degree. murder).
On Wednesday, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced that the Department of Justice is launching a “pattern-or-practice” inquiry into the Minneapolis Police Department. The investigation covers, among other things, police use of force, discriminatory policing, and internal police accountability.

Meanwhile, there are developments in other police shootings across the country.

Last week, prosecutors charged former Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, police officer Kim Potter with second-degree manslaughter for shooting and killing Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black man, during a traffic stop. According to the criminal complaint, Potter discharged her gun while yelling, “Taser!”
In Chicago, newly-released body camera footage from March shows police officer Eric Stillman shooting and killing 13-year-old Adam Toledo. The Chicago Civilian Office of Police Accountability is investigating the matter.
On Tuesday, police officer Nicholas Reardon shot and killed 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant in Columbus, Ohio. Many details about the shooting are still unknown, but body camera footage appears to show Bryant carrying a knife at the time she was shot.