Derek Chauvin sentenced to 22 and a half years for murder of George Floyd – latest news

Gabrielle Canon here, taking over from the west coast for the evening.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has tweeted his reaction to the Chavin sentence it “historic” but agreeing with others that more needs to be done.

“This is a positive step toward justice, but our work is not done. We’ve known all along that accountability in the courtroom is not enough,” he says.

“The statements today from George Floyd’s family and members of the community were painful but powerful,” he continues. “Now, as Derek Chauvin faces years behind bars, we must come together around our common humanity and continue on towards justice for all”.

The stataement echoed the statement the governor issued on April 20, when Chauvin was found guilty of murdering George Floyd, when he said that systemic change was needed to prevent this from happening again.

Here is more from his statement in April:

“Too many Black people have lost—and continue to lose—their lives at the hands of law enforcement in our state.”

“Our communities of color cannot go on like this. Our police officers cannot go on like this. Our state simply cannot go on like this. And the only way it will change is through systemic reform.”

“We must rebuild, restore, and reimagine the relationship between law enforcement and the communities they serve. We must tackle racial inequities in every corner of society—from health to home ownership to education. We must come together around our common humanity.”

“Let us continue on this march towards justice.”

Here’s Al Sharpton reacting to the ruling. Like Ellison, he said the ruling was not enough.

Sharpton noted that the ruling is “longest sentence they’ve ever given but it is not justice. Justice is George Floyd would be alive.”

Some reaction from various corners of Twitter to the Chauvin ruling:

My colleague Adam Gabbatt had a long dispatch about the UFO report:

The mystery of UFOs seen in American skies is likely to continue following the release of the US government’s highly anticipated UFO report.

The report released Friday afternoon made clear that while American intelligence officials do not believe aliens are behind the UFOs – or what scientists prefer to call unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) – that were observed by Navy pilots, they cannot explain what the flying objects are.

The report confirms that the observed phenomena are not part of any US military operations.

The Pentagon studied over 140 incidents reported by Navy pilots of UFOs seen over the last two decades for the report, many of which were seen during the summer of 2014 into the spring of 2015.

The release of the report caps a six-month wait, since a group of elected officials succeeded in including the Intelligence Authorization Act for fiscal year 2021 in a $2.3tn coronavirus relief bill signed by Donald Trump last December.

The act ordered government agencies to provide a declassified “detailed analysis of unidentified aerial phenomena data and intelligence” and “a detailed description of an interagency process” for reporting UFOs.

The discussion of UFOs – at government level or outside it – has been stigmatized for decades. While some have used the UAP materials as fodder for theories on alien life, officials have pointed to the possible threat of the UAPs being from an adversary using technology unknown to the US.

The much-awaited (at least to me) Director of National Intelligence report on UFOs is here. Read it.

Joe Biden was asked about his reaction to the Chauvin ruling. Here’s the pool report:

Question: Do you have a reaction to Derek Chauvin being sentenced to 22.5 years in prison?

Biden: “I don’t know all the circumstances that were considered but it seems to me, under the guidelines, that seems to be appropriate.”

Thanks to the AP’s Darlene Superville for lending a good recording of the quote.

More quotes coming.

Here is the sentencing order on the Chauvin ruling in the Floyd case.

Attorney Ben Crump has also responded to the ruling.

Ellison continues: “My hope for Derek Chauvin is that he uses his long sentence to reflect on the choices he made … my hope is that he takes the time to learn something about the man whose life he took.”

Ellison is going on to say the sentencing “is not enough”.

Ellison is now speaking.

“The sentence that the court just imposed on Derek Chauvin … is one of the longest a former police officer has ever received for an unlawful use of deadly force,” Ellison said. “Today’s sentencing is not justice but it’s another moment of real accountability on the road to justice.”

Attorney General Keith Ellison of Minnesota is about to speak about the ruling and Derek Chauvin’s sentencing.