(MINNEAPOLIS) -- People across the United States responded to the guilty verdict that was reached in the murder trial of former Minnesota police officer Derek Chauvin, who was charged in the death of George Floyd.
Chauvin was found guilty on all counts.
Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Apr 21, 1:13 pm
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: 'We need to ... dismantle systemic racism'
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, said in a statement Wednesday that "any other result" in this case "would have been a travesty of justice."
Going forward, she said, "We need to see robust measures to prevent further arbitrary killings."
"As we have painfully witnessed in recent days and weeks, reforms to policing departments across the U.S. continue to be insufficient to stop people of African descent from being killed," Bachelet said. "It is time to move on from talk of reform to truly rethinking policing."
She continued, "This case has also helped reveal, perhaps more clearly than ever before, how much remains to be done to reverse the tide of systemic racism that permeates the lives of people of African descent. We need to move to whole-of-government and whole-of-society approaches that dismantle systemic racism."
Apr 21, 12:20 pm
Nation's largest police union: 'It’s time for an honest discussion'
Patrick Lynch, president of the nation's largest police union, the Police Benevolent Association of the City of New York, said in a statement, "As we have said from the beginning, what Derek Chauvin did that day was not policing. It was murder."
Going forward, Lynch said, "It's time for an honest discussion of policing and public safety that begins with the real challenges we face on our streets."
Apr 21, 10:15 am
AG announces civil investigation into Minneapolis Police Department
The Justice Department is launching a civil investigation into the Minneapolis Police Department to determine whether the police department has a pattern or practice of unconstitutional or unlawful policing, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Wednesday.
The investigation will assess whether the department "engages in a pattern or practice of using excessive force, including during protests," and will "assess whether the MPD engages in discriminatory conduct, and whether its treatment of those with behavioral health disabilities is unlawful," Garland said. "It will include a comprehensive review of the Minneapolis Police Department's policies, training, supervision, and use of force investigations."
"Accountability is an essential part of building trust with the community," Garland said. "Public safety requires public trust."
"Justice is sometimes slow, sometimes elusive and sometimes never comes," he said. "The Department of Justice will be unwavering in its pursuit of equal justice."
Apr 20, 11:15 pm
Minneapolis police chief: 'I respect the process and the decision'
In a statement Thursday night, Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo reacted to the verdict reached in the Derek Chauvin trial, which found one of the department's former officers guilty in the murder of George Floyd.
"I want to acknowledge and thank the jurors on this case for their immense responsibility and honorable civic duty," he said. "The verdict has been read and I respect the process and the decision."
The chief took the moment to thank the members of the force and their families.
"The past year has been difficult and challenging, yet they have continued to show up and serve our community with the respect and dignity they deserve," he said.
Arradondo asked for "calm, safety and peace in our communities" in the wake of the verdict, and said the department will "strive to do our very best to earn your trust."
The chief was one of the highest-profile witnesses to testify for the prosecution during the trial. He told jurors that Chauvin violated numerous use-of-force and ethics policies in the fatal arrest of Floyd.
Apr 20, 10:54 pm
Celebrities, athletes react to the Chauvin verdict
In the wake of the Derek Chauvin guilty verdict, several celebrities and athletes took to social media to react.
NBA star LeBron James summed it up in one word: "Accountability."
U.S. Open champ Naomi Osaka, who wore masks with the names of victims of racial injustice and police brutality during the tournament, including Floyd's, said she was "hit with sadness because we are celebrating something that is clear as day."
Oprah Winfrey tweeted a photo of a young Floyd, saying she was "relieved" and "cried tears of joy as each verdict was read."
TV producer Shonda Rhimes said the verdict "does not bring back Mr Floyd. But justice is truth."
Whoopi Goldberg had a similar sentiment. "No one wins," she tweeted. "George Floyd is still gone."
Black-ish star Tracee Ellis Ross said she is "weeping with grief and relief for George’s family, his loved ones, and this country."
Model Bella Hadid shared a photo of Floyd with his daughter, saying, "Thank God for justice and accountability today."
Actor George Takei, paraphrasing Martin Luther King Jr., tweeted that "the moral arc of the universe has finally bent toward" justice.
Singer Barbra Streisand thanked the jury and the high schooler, Darnella Frazier, who filmed the viral video of the "horrible act."
Apr 21, 10:15 am
AG announces civil investigation into Minneapolis Police Department
The Justice Department is launching a civil investigation into the Minneapolis Police Department to determine whether the police department has a pattern or practice of unconstitutional or unlawful policing, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Wednesday.
"Accountability is an essential part of building trust with the community," Garland said. "Public safety requires public trust."
"Justice is sometimes slow, sometimes elusive and sometimes never comes," he said. "The Department of Justice will be unwavering in its pursuit of equal justice."
Apr 20, 11:15 pm
Minneapolis police chief: 'I respect the process and the decision'
In a statement Thursday night, Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo reacted to the verdict reached in the Derek Chauvin trial, which found one of the department's former officers guilty in the murder of George Floyd.
"I want to acknowledge and thank the jurors on this case for their immense responsibility and honorable civic duty," he said. "The verdict has been read and I respect the process and the decision."
The chief took the moment to thank the members of the force and their families.
"The past year has been difficult and challenging, yet they have continued to show up and serve our community with the respect and dignity they deserve," he said.
Arradondo asked for "calm, safety and peace in our communities" in the wake of the verdict, and said the department will "strive to do our very best to earn your trust."
The chief was one of the highest-profile witnesses to testify for the prosecution during the trial. He told jurors that Chauvin violated numerous use-of-force and ethics policies in the fatal arrest of Floyd.
Apr 20, 10:54 pm
Celebrities, athletes react to the Chauvin verdict
In the wake of the Derek Chauvin guilty verdict, several celebrities and athletes took to social media to react.
NBA star LeBron James summed it up in one word: "Accountability."
U.S. Open champ Naomi Osaka, who wore masks with the names of victims of racial injustice and police brutality during the tournament, including Floyd's, said she was "hit with sadness because we are celebrating something that is clear as day."
Oprah Winfrey tweeted a photo of a young Floyd, saying she was "relieved" and "cried tears of joy as each verdict was read."
TV producer Shonda Rhimes said the verdict "does not bring back Mr Floyd. But justice is truth."
Whoopi Goldberg had a similar sentiment. "No one wins," she tweeted. "George Floyd is still gone."
Black-ish star Tracee Ellis Ross said she is "weeping with grief and relief for George’s family, his loved ones, and this country."
Model Bella Hadid shared a photo of Floyd with his daughter, saying, "Thank God for justice and accountability today."
Actor George Takei, paraphrasing Martin Luther King Jr., tweeted that "the moral arc of the universe has finally bent toward" justice.
Singer Barbra Streisand thanked the jury and the high schooler, Darnella Frazier, who filmed the viral video of the "horrible act."
Apr 20, 8:40 pm
Mayor: 'This is a good day in Minneapolis'
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey described a city "gripped in grief" in the 11 months since George Floyd died while in police custody, as many residents took to the streets Tuesday to celebrate the verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial.
"This is a good day in Minneapolis," Frey said during a press briefing a few hours after the verdict was announced. "But let me be exceedingly clear: This is day one."
"Justice has been rendered in this case, but we still have a long way to go to achieve true justice in our city and in our country," he said, noting that the city is "piloting new ways of policing" in the wake of George Floyd's death.
The mayor said he was "relieved" by the verdict, and thanked the jurors and witnesses who testified.
"We all wanted to see justice, we all wanted to make sure that, again, this was day one of the necessary change that we needed to see," Frey said. "And I think we all were nervous that what has happened on so many occasions, through our judicial system, where we wouldn't see that justice would happen."
The verdict comes as the city is also reeling from the fatal police shooting of Daunte Wright while being detained by police last week in Brooklyn Center, a Minneapolis suburb. The shooting sparked widespread protests.
A curfew has not been issued for Tuesday night, "although that certainly remains an option on the table if necessary," Frey said. "That is not the desired approach, but it is an option that will be available."
Apr 20, 8:12 pm
DHS Secretary: 'This conviction is a step toward accountability'
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas weighed in on the conviction of Derek Chauvin on Twitter, Tuesday night.
Mayorkas said the verdict was "a step toward accountability," but said "it will not erase the pain felt by the Floyd family and Black Americans."
"I speak for myself and the entire Department of Homeland Security in reaffirming our commitment to do our part to end injustice as we work to make our country a safer and more equitable Nation for all," he tweeted.
Maorkas added that DHS is in contact with state and local agencies to ensure that citizens peacefully make their voices heard.
-ABC News' Luke Barr
Apr 20, 7:49 pm
Biden, Harris deliver address from the White House
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris reacted to the verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial in an address from the White House.
Biden called the guilty verdict a "giant step forward in the march toward justice in America" and commended the witnesses who testified, including police officers.
"Most men and women who wear the badge serve their communities honorably. Those few who failed to meet that standard must be held accountable, and they were today. One was," Biden said. "No one should be above the law. And today's verdict sends that message."
"But it's not enough," he continued. "We can't stop here. In order to deliver a real change in reform, we can and we must do more to reduce the likelihood that tragedy like this will ever happen to occur again."
Harris called the verdict a step forward in law enforcement reform.
"A measure of justice isn’t the same as equal justice," she said. "We still have work to do."
Harris said she and Biden will continue to urge the Senate to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.
"Black men are fathers and brothers and sons and uncles and grandfathers and friends and neighbors," she said. "Their lives must be valued in our education system, in our health care system, in our housing system, in our economic system, in our criminal justice system, in our nation -- full stop."
Apr 20, 7:45 pm
Jury 'fulfilled' its duty: Attorney General Merrick Garland
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland weighed on Tuesday's verdict, stating the jury "has fulfilled its civic duty."
"While the state’s prosecution was successful, I know that nothing can fill the void that the loved ones of George Floyd have felt since his death," he said in a statement.
Garland added that the Justice Department's civil rights investigation into Floyd's death is still ongoing.
Apr 20, 6:55 pm
Senate Judiciary Committee announces police reform hearing
U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, who chairs the Judiciary Committee, said in a statement that he plans to hold a hearing on police reform next month, citing the Floyd case.
"The verdict of this jury gives me hope that we can strive for a system of justice in our nation that is applied equally to all," he said in a statement.
"As Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, I have the forum and the means to help move our nation nearer to that goal."
-ABC News' Trish Turner
Apr 20, 6:48 pm
Teen who filmed viral video of arrest: 'George Floyd we did it'
The teenager who filmed George Floyd's arrest and testified in court reacted after Derek Chauvin was found guilty of all three charges in his death.
"I just cried so hard," Darnella Frazier, 18, said in a social media post shortly after the verdict was announced. "This last hour my heart was beating so fast, I was so anxious."
"George Floyd we did it!!" she said. "Justice has been served."
Frazier, a high school student, was walking to Cup Foods with her 9-year-old cousin to buy some snacks on May 25, 2020, when they witnessed police officers pinning down Floyd.
Frazier said she immediately began recording the incident with her cellphone.
"He was in pain," Frazier said of Floyd during her testimony the first week of the trial. "It seemed like, he knew ... he knew it was over for him. He was terrified. He was suffering. This was a cry for help."
During her emotional, tearful testimony, Frazier said she has spent nights agonizing over what she saw.
"I stayed up apologizing and apologizing to George Floyd for not doing more and not physically interacting, not saving his life," she testified.
ABC News' Bill Hutchinson contributed to this report.
Apr 20, 6:38 pm
Obama calls verdict ‘right thing,’ highlights activists’ work
“Today, a jury in Minneapolis did the right thing,” former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama said in a joint statement.
But the Obamas also said “true justice is about much more than a single verdict in a single trial.”
“True justice requires that we come to terms with the fact that Black Americans are treated differently, every day,” they wrote. “It requires us to recognize that millions of our friends, family, and fellow citizens live in fear that their next encounter with law enforcement could be their last. And it requires us to do the sometimes thankless, often difficult, but always necessary work of making the America we know more like the America we believe in.”
The Obamas said the verdict was a “necessary step,” but noted that concrete reforms to reduce and eliminate racial bias in the criminal justice system and efforts to expand economic opportunity for marginalized communities are needed.
“And as we continue the fight, we can draw strength from the millions of people — especially young people — who have marched and protested and spoken up over the last year, shining a light on inequity and calling for change. Justice is closer today not simply because of this verdict, but because of their work,” they wrote.
Apr 20, 6:35 pm
Minnesota attorney general: Verdict is not 'justice'
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, the lead prosecutor in the Derek Chauvin murder trial, measuredly addressed his victory shortly after the jury delivered its guilty verdict.
"I would not call today's verdict justice, however, because justice implies true restoration," Ellison told reporters outside the Hennepin County Government Center. "But it is accountability, which is the first step towards justice."
Ellison thanked the witnesses who testified on behalf of the prosecution, including the bystanders to Floyd's arrest on May 25, 2020, whom he referred to as a "bouquet of humanity."
"They didn't know George Floyd," he said. "They stopped and raised their voices, and they even challenged authority, because they saw his humanity. They stopped and they raised their voices because they knew that what they were seeing was wrong. They didn't need to be medical professionals or experts in the use of force. They know what was wrong. And they were right."
Ellison also addressed Floyd's family, who had to "relive again and again the worst day of their lives."
"I'm profoundly grateful to them for giving us the time we needed to prosecute this case," Ellison said. "They have shown the world what grace and class and encourage really look like. Although verdict alone cannot heal their pain, I hope it's another step on the long path toward healing for them.
To the 14 members of the jury, Ellison thanked them for their time and attention "to carefully listen to the evidence."
"They answered the call, and they served in a landmark trial," he said, and asked that people respect their privacy if they so desire.
Ellison referred to his legal team as "all Michael Jordans."
"We presented the best case that we could, and the jury heard us, and we're grateful for that," he said. "We had the sole burden of proof in the case, and history shows that winning cases like these can be difficult."
With sentencing in the coming weeks, the attorney general said "this is not the end." He also said his office expects to present another case, but did not go into any detail.
Apr 20, 6:25 pm
Congressional Black Caucus vows to press forward on police reform
Members of the Congressional Black Caucus reacted to the guilty verdict in the Derek Chauvin case outside the Capitol on Tuesday, welcoming the news while vowing to press forward with police reform.
"This verdict we certainly agree with, guilty on all charges," Chair Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, said. "But we want our message to be very clear that this is just the first step. We know clearly that justice has been delayed."
Freshman Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., said the verdict "should be the regular thing" rather than a surprise international news headline. "All we’re doing is saying our lives matter."
“Step one is the verdict, step two is the sentencing,” Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif., a leader of police reform legislation negotiations, added. "Now we have to focus on transforming policing in the United States."
-ABC News' Ben Siegel
Apr 20, 6:25 pm
Congressional Black Caucus vows to press forward on police reform
Members of the Congressional Black Caucus reacted to the guilty verdict in the Derek Chauvin case outside the Capitol on Tuesday, welcoming the news while vowing to press forward with police reform.
"This verdict we certainly agree with, guilty on all charges," Chair Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, said. "But we want our message to be very clear that this is just the first step. We know clearly that justice has been delayed."
Freshman Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., said the verdict "should be the regular thing" rather than a surprise international news headline. "All we’re doing is saying our lives matter."
“Step one is the verdict, step two is the sentencing,” Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif., a leader of police reform legislation negotiations, added. "Now we have to focus on transforming policing in the United States."
-ABC News' Ben Siegel
Apr 20, 6:08 pm
Demonstrators in Minneapolis react
People gathered Tuesday afternoon outside of the Hennepin County Government Center and at George Floyd Square in Minneapolis to hear the verdict.
While some who were gathered were celebratory, others were tearful upon learning that Chauvin was found guilty on all of the counts against him.
Police departments across the United States have been bracing for this moment. A state of emergency was declared, and National Guard tro
Apr 20, 5:48 pm
The moment George Floyd’s family heard the verdict
As George Floyd’s family watched the verdict being read, they were overcome with emotion.
Bystander video footage shown in court showed Floyd talking about his family while laying on the pavement under Chauvin’s knee.
“Can’t believe this, man. Mom, love you. Love you. Tell my kids I love them. I’m dead,” he said.
Apr 20, 5:37 pm
A 'turning point in American history,' Floyd family lawyer says
Ben Crump, one of the attorneys for George Floyd's family that helped settle a $27 million civil lawsuit last month, called the Derek Chauvin case a "turning point in American history for accountability of law enforcement," after the former Minneapolis police officer was convicted on all three counts in Floyd's death.
"Painfully earned justice has arrived for George Floyd’s family and the community here in Minneapolis, but today’s verdict goes far beyond this city and has significant implications for the country and even the world," Crump said in a statement. "But it does not end here. We have not forgotten that the other three officers who played their own roles in the death of George Floyd must still be held accountable for their actions, as well."
Antonio M. Romanucci, another attorney on the legal team, said in a statement the verdict "reinforces significant police reforms underway in Minneapolis including use-of-force reporting, a requirement to keep body-worn cameras on, and a policy for officers to de-escalate non-threatening encounters by disengaging or walking away."
He called on Minnesota state lawmakers to pass The George Floyd Arbitration Reform Bill, and for the United States Senate to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.
In March, Minneapolis' City Council approved a $27 million settlement to the family of George Floyd.
Apr 20, 5:29 pm
Minnesota governor calls verdict an ‘important step forward’
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz released a statement on Facebook after the verdict was read, calling it an “important step forward for justice in Minnesota.” However, he noted, the death of Daunte Wright on April 11 is a reminder that “our work has only begun.”
“A year later, Derek Chauvin has been found guilty of murder and faces years behind bars,” Walz wrote. “But we know that accountability in the courtroom is only the first step.”
“No verdict can bring George back, and my heart is with his family as they continue to grieve his loss. Minnesota mourns with you, and we promise the pursuit of justice for George does not end today,” he continued.
“True justice for George only comes through real, systemic change to prevent this from happening again,” Walz said. “And the tragic death of Daunte Wright this week serves as a heartbreaking reminder that we still have so much more work to do to get there.”