FormerUS police officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced on Friday to 270 months, or 22.5years in prison, for the murder of African American George Floyd last year inMinneapolis, Minnesota state.
Chauvin"is the first white officer in Minnesota to face prison time for thekilling of a Black man," according to Minnesota Public Radio.
"Weneed to recognise the pain of the Floyd family," Hennepin County JudgePeter Cahill said in court.
Thesentence was not based on emotion or sympathy, the judge noted.
Membersof Floyd's family were present in the courtroom for the hearing, the Xinhuanews agency reported.
Chauvin,who was found guilty of murdering Floyd by a jury in April, said he declined togive a formal statement in court due to "additional legal matters,"but expressed his condolences to the Floyd family.
Inhis earlier ruling, Cahill concluded that Chauvin abused his "position oftrust and authority" as a police officer and displayed "particularcruelty" when he knelt on Floyd's neck for over nine minutes during hisarrest. Floyd was later pronounced dead at hospital.
Chauvinwas convicted of second-degree murder and manslaughter as well as third-degreemurder in April.
Floyd'sdeath sparked weeks of nationwide protests against police brutality andsystemic racism last summer.