A Minneapolis jury has returned a verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former police officer charged with the murder of George Floyd, whose death last year sparked global protests over race and police.
The verdict will be announced between 4:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern time, court officials said on Tuesday. Jurors have been deliberating since Monday evening.
Chauvin has been charged with second and third degree murder, as well as manslaughter. Last May, Chauvin knelt at Floyd’s neck for over nine minutes while arresting him for allegedly using a fake $ 20 bill.
The city has expected protests after the verdict, regardless of the jury’s decision. The government center in downtown Minneapolis has been barricaded with a fence topped with accordion wire since March. The National Guard increased its troops in the metropolitan area last week following civil unrest in a northern suburbs after police shooting a 20-year-old black man during a traffic stop.