Derek Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer, has been sentenced for more than 20 years for violating George Floyd’s civil rights.
Chauvin, 46, pleaded guilty in December to separate federal civil rights charges.
For the murder of Mr Floyd (a 46-year old black man), he is currently serving a 22 year sentence in state prison.
Chauvin will be transferred to a federal prison after the two sentences run simultaneously.
He will likely spend longer behind bars after the sentencing. He will be released after his sentence.
Philonese Floyd, Mr Floyd's brother, stated in court that George's life was important as he requested the judge to impose a maximum sentence of 25-years.
Chauvin, a white man, was convicted in Minnesota of murder and manslaughter for kneeling over Mr Floyd for more than ninety minutes.
The incident, which was captured by a bystander on his phone camera, sparked outrage worldwide and led to a wave protests against police force and racism.
Two federal charges were brought against Chauvin for allegedly depriving Floyd of his rights, by kneeling on Floyd's neck while he was being held in handcuffs and failing to provide medical attention during his May 2020 arrest.
Chauvin pleaded guilty as part of the plea deal to violating the rights a 14-year-old boy in 2017 during another arrest.
According to the indictment Chauvin grabbed the boy by his throat and hit him with a flashlight. He then placed his knee on the boy’s neck while handcuffed. The boy, like Floyd, was black.
Prosecutors claimed that Chauvin was seen kneeling on Chauvin's back for 17 minutes, while crying out for his mother.
Prosecutors asked Chauvin to serve his sentence concurrently with the murder sentence after he pleaded guilty. If he was convicted in a second criminal case, he would face life imprisonment.
His lawyer asked for a sentence of twenty years in court on Thursday. He stated that he had shown respect during his trial, and was not at risk of repeating his crimes.
Chauvin addressed the court in what will be his last legal hearing for many years. He stated that the judge made a difficult decision due to the "politically charged" environment and acknowledged that the court strives for fairness.
Chauvin addressed Mr Floyd's children, who were some of those present at court. He said that he wished them all the best and that they had "excellent guidance" in becoming responsible adults. He didn't apologize.
Judge Paul Magnuson stated, "For your actions you must be held responsible," before he handed down the sentence.
The 35-minute hearing was concluded by Chauvin wishing him "the best for his future".
