Chauvin was found guilty of all charges shortly after 4 p.m. He was charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree murder.
RELATED | Derek Chauvin was found guilty of murder and manslaughter on the death of George Floyd
Pritzker tweeted shortly after the verdict was read, saying, “No courtroom can ever replace a life, but it can and must do justice. Today, the jury for Derek Chauvin’s murder trial has honored that truth.” .
No courtroom can ever replace a life, but it can and must do justice. Today, the jury of the trial for the murder of Derek Chauvin has honored this truth.
My full statement: pic.twitter.com/9Xc73hOG1N
– Governor JB Pritzker (@GovPritzker) April 20, 2021
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot also tweeted about the verdict, saying in part, “Today marks a time when future generations can look back and see that, as a nation, we have come together and demanded justly. justice and accountability. And justice was done. “
Read the full thread:
In May 2020, I saw the harrowing images of George Floyd’s life fade under Derek Chauvin’s knee and I cried. I said then and I say it now, being black in America cannot be a death sentence.
– Mayor Lori Lightfoot (@chicagosmayor) April 20, 2021
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul issued a statement in part saying, “Justice has been served today and I hope this verdict brings some peace to the family and friends of George Floyd and the “Let us begin to recover not only from the tragic death of Floyd but also from the trauma of the trial. I also hope that this verdict will begin the healing our country needs.”
Many downtown Chicago businesses were already open Tuesday morning. At the request of Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Pritzker said he will deploy 125 members of the National Guard to support the Chicago Police Department starting Tuesday.
“The Illinois National Guard will carry out a limited mission to help manage street closures and will not interfere with peaceful protesters exercising their First Amendment rights, almost the same role that members of the Guard played in previous deployments, ”Pritzker’s office said in a written statement.
With a sentence awaiting trial Derek Chauvin, I am putting it @IL_Natl_Guard waiting at the request of @chicagosmayor. It is critical that those who wish to protest peacefully against systemic racism and injustice in our communities continue to do so. https://t.co/gb9BOCTZXK
– Governor JB Pritzker (@GovPritzker) April 19, 2021
The soldiers assigned to the mission come from the 33rd Military Police Battalion and are specially trained in riot control operations, according to the statement.
“It is critical that those who wish to protest peacefully against the systemic racism and injustice that are holding back our communities en masse continue to be able to do so. Members of the Illinois State Guard and Police will support the efforts of the city of Chicago to protect the rights of peaceful protesters and keep our families safe, “Pritzker said in a statement Monday.
Pritzker’s office also said Illinois state police will support the CPD with additional cash.
The ISP told the I-Team that they are in contact with the Chicago police department to help you make peaceful protests and keep the community safe. They have not been asked for help in Minnesota, as other nearby states have done.
Some businesses along the Magnificent Mile and elsewhere in the city have been consolidated since last Thursday, when the video of the death was seen. Chicago police shoot 13-year-old Adam Toledo he was released.
The Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications also prepared for the jury’s decision, but said “there is no actionable intellectual information at this time.”
“Infrastructure assets” will be strategically developed to ensure security, OEMC said.
SEE: A legal analyst discusses the ongoing Chauvin trial
Second Councilor Brian Hopkins said the city is too prepared.
“It means having the National Guard to do crowd control and traffic control, if necessary. It means having trained police officers who have been practicing events like this, who now know what the right response to civil disobedience is, whether it’s a looting or if it’s an out-of-control protest, ”Hopkins said.
Lightfoot commented on his call for guard troops at an unrelated press conference Tuesday morning, saying “we learned a lot over the past summer and fell for additional things we had to do. Last week we activate our neighborhood protection plan, which puts officers on high alert. They are very visible. “
Black and Latinx organizers condemned the mayor’s plan to install National Guard troops before the verdict.
They said the protesters who left last Friday night, outraged by the murder of police in Toledo, were treated very harshly by officers, and they believe this is how the protesters would be treated following any potential verdict from the Chauvin case.
“Last Friday, during the peaceful protests that took place, we saw clear indications that the CPD plans to respond to the protests arising from the verdict of Adam Toledo and George Floyd with the same violence and racism,” Sheila Bed said. .
Hopkins said “there is no actionable intelligence at the moment” of anything expected to happen at the center.
He also said the National Guard is located out of sight nearby so they can respond in a matter of minutes.
Chauvin, 45, is charged with second-degree homicide, third-degree murder and second-degree homicide. All three charges require the jury to conclude that Chauvin’s actions were a “substantial causal factor” in Floyd’s death and that his use of force was unreasonable. He was seen kneeling on Floyd’s neck before the black man’s death.
The most serious charge carries up to 40 years in prison.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2021 WLS-TV. All rights reserved.