The Latest: Elation and wariness after verdict in Floyd case

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Latest on the murder trial of former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd (all times local):

9 p.m.

Crowds nationwide are reacting with jubilation but also with deep awareness of the progress left to be made after a jury convicted former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin of murder in the killing of George Floyd.

Cheers erupted from Floyd’s family members as the judge read the verdict Tuesday, and a vigil at the site of Floyd’s death last May gave way to celebration.

In the Houston neighborhood where Floyd grew up, a small crowd gathered under a tent near a mural of Floyd to listen as the verdict was read on TV. People driving by honked their car horns and yelled, “Justice!”

But the elation was tinged with wariness and worry that while justice was done for one Black person on this day, it would not be enough by itself.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson, who traveled to Minneapolis for the verdict, said, “We are relieved but not celebrating because the killing continues.”

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6:15 p.m.

President Joe Biden says George Floyd’s death was “a murder in the full light of day and it ripped the blinders off” for all the world to see the problems with race and policing in the U.S.

Biden, speaking after former police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty Tuesday of murder in Floyd’s death last May, says the verdict can be a giant step forward for the country against systemic racism.

Biden is lauding the officers who testified in the trial instead of closing ranks and keeping quiet. He says the verdict sends a strong message, but reform can’t stop with just the verdict.

He says it is so important to ensure Black and brown people don’t fear interaction with law enforcement.

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6:10 p.m.

Vice President Kamala Harris said the nation still must work to reform the criminal justice system after a jury found former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin guilty of murder and manslaughter in the death of George Floyd.

“A measure of justice isn’t the same as equal justice,” Harris says.

Harris spoke ahead of President Joe Biden. They both addressed the nation from the White House Tuesday hours after a jury returned the verdict against Chauvin for the killing of Floyd, whose death caught on camera touched off a reckoning on policing in America.

Before addressing the nation, Biden and Harris spoke by phone with members of the Floyd family. The president told the family that he and Harris were “so relieved” by the verdict, according to a video of the call posted on Twitter by Floyd family attorney Ben Crump

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THE TRIAL OF DEREK CHAUVIN FOR THE MURDER OF GEORGE FLOYD:

— Chauvin has been convicted of murder and manslaughter

— President Joe Biden says, “We can’t stop here”

— Key events since George Floyd’s arrest and death

— The charges against Chauvin

— Follow all of AP’s trial coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/death-of-george-floyd

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HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

6 p.m.

The family of George Floyd is celebrating after former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin was convicted Tuesday of murder and manslaughter in Floyd’s death.

At a joyous family news conference, Floyd’s brother Philonise said he’s been getting messages from around the world. He told reporters that “they’re all saying the same thing: ‘We won’t be able to breathe until you’re able to breathe.’ Today, we are able to breathe again.”

Floyd family attorney Ben Crump says: “This is a victory for those who champion humanity over inhumanity. Those who champion justice over injustice.”

Floyd’s brother Terrence said: “History is here. This is monumental.” He added, “What a day to be a Floyd, man.”

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5:20 p.m.

Lawmakers from both parties are expressing satisfaction with Tuesday’s guilty verdict of former police officer Derek Chauvin for murder and manslaughter in the killing of George Floyd.

California Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters says: “I’m not celebrating, I’m relieved.”

South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, the chamber’s only Black Republican, says he is thankful for a verdict that shows “our justice system continues to become more just.” But GOP Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst says, “I guess I’m in agreement” with the jury’s decision.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California is expressing thanks to Floyd “for sacrificing your life for justice.” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York says Congress must keep working on legislation “to bring meaningful change” to police departments.

Georgia Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock says he hopes the verdict will let “people who have seen this trauma over and over again” know the nation’s laws can give them equal protection. Warnock is pastor of the Atlanta church once led by the Rev. Martin Luther King.

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5 p.m.

Former President Barack Obama says the conviction of ex-police officer Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd was correct but only one step in the fight for justice.

He says in a statement that true justice requires Americans to understand that “Black Americans are being treated differently every day” and that millions live in fear that their next encounter with law enforcement could be their last.

Obama says the country needs to follow up on the verdict by taking concrete steps to reduce racial bias in the criminal justice system and to redouble efforts to expand economic opportunity in marginalized communities.

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4:50 p.m.

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will deliver remarks Tuesday evening after the conviction of ex-police officer Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd.

Biden, Harris and first lady Jill Biden called members of the Floyd family moments after the verdict, according to video posted by family attorney Ben Crump.

Biden told the family, “Nothing is going to make it all better, but at least now there is some justice.”

He added, “We’re all so relieved.”

Biden said he hoped the verdict would give momentum to congressional police reform efforts.

According to the White House, Biden and Harris watched the verdict live from the private dining room just off the Oval Office.

Biden is expected to speak after remarks from Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and the Floyd family.

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4:45 p.m.

Crowds are celebrating near the Minneapolis courthouse where former police Officer Derek Chauvin was convicted Tuesday of murder and manslaughter in the death of George Floyd.

People elated by the verdict flooded the surrounding streets downtown upon hearing the news. Cars blared their horns and people ran through traffic, waving banners.

As the judge asked jurors if they had reached a verdict, a hush fell on the crowd 300 strong in a park adjacent to the courthouse, with people listening to the proceedings on their cellphones. When the final guilty verdict was announced, the crowd roared, many people hugging, some shedding tears.

An ecstatic Whitney Lewis leaned out a car window waving a “Black Lives Matter” flag in a growing traffic jam of revelers. “Justice was served,” the 32-year-old from Minneapolis said. “It means George Floyd can now rest.”

Floyd died last May after Chauvin, a white officer, pinned his knee on or close to the 46-year-old Black man’s neck for about 9 1/2 minutes.

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4:07 p.m.

Former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin has been convicted of murder and manslaughter in the death of George Floyd, the explosive case that triggered worldwide protests, violence and a furious reexamination of racism and policing in the U.S.

The jury reached its verdict Tuesday after deliberating about 10 hours over two days in a city on edge against another outbreak of unrest.

Floyd died last May after Chauvin, a white officer, pinned his knee on or close to the 46-year-old Black man’s neck for about 9 1/2 minutes.

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3:50 p.m.

At the Minneapolis intersection that has been dubbed George Floyd Square, about 100 people have gathered around a large painting of Floyd in anticipation of the verdict in the murder trial of former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin.

The site is located outside of Cup Foods, the convenience store linked to Floyd’s fatal interaction with Chauvin last May.

Several families with small children are among those holding vigil for an announcement from the court.

Eliza Wesley, who identified herself as a gatekeeper of Floyd Square, led those gathered in a word of prayer.

“I don’t have any doubt in you, God,” she said. “You said no weapon formed against us can prosper. … We’ve been here for 11 months. … This is the day that the Lord has made.”

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3 p.m.

The jury has reached a verdict at the murder trial of former Officer Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd, the Black man who was pinned to the pavement with a knee on his neck in a case that set off a furious reexamination of racism and policing in the U.S.

The verdict, arrived at after about 10 hours of deliberations over two days, was to be read late in the afternoon in a city on edge against the possibility of more unrest like that that erupted last spring.

The courthouse is ringed with concrete barriers and razor wire, and thousands of National Guard troops and law enforcement officers have been brought in ahead of the verdict. Some businesses are boarded up with plywood.

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