Minneapolis Archives - Northwest Public Broadcasting

Derek Chauvin Sentenced To 22 1/2 Years For George Floyd’s Murder

By NPR News June 25, 2021

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin addresses the court Friday at his sentencing hearing. He was sentenced to 22 1/2 years in prison for the murder of George Floyd. CREDIT: Court TV via AP/Pool

A Minnesota judge sentenced Derek Chauvin to 22 1/2 years in prison Friday for the murder of George Floyd — a punishment that exceeds the state's minimum guidelines but falls short of prosecutors' request of a 30-year sentence. Continue Reading Read More

Family Meets With President Biden And VP Harris 1 Year After George Floyd Was Killed

By NPR News May 25, 2021

Gianna Floyd, George Floyd's daughter, walks out of the West Wing door at the White House after meeting Tuesday with President Biden and Vice President Harris. CREDIT: Evan Vucci/AP

President Biden lauded the courage of George Floyd's family after meeting with them on the first anniversary of his murder by a Minneapolis police officer, a killing that launched protests and calls for police reform nationwide. Read More

The Artist Behind A George Floyd Mural Reflects On How It Became A ‘Ubiquitous Icon’

By PBS Newshour May 14, 2021

A mural of George Floyd at the intersection of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue S. in Minneapolis, United States, on January 18, 2021. (Photo by Tim Evans/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

One of the most recognizable images of Floyd sits just above the spot where he drew his last breath – at the corner of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue in South Minneapolis. It’s a haunting, 12-foot mural of Floyd, painted in black and white by Minneapolis-based artist Peyton Scott Russell. Read More

Justice Department Brings Federal Criminal Charges Against Derek Chauvin, 3 Others

By NPR News May 7, 2021

A picture of George Floyd hangs on a fence barrier that surrounds the Hennepin County Government Center in Minneapolis during the trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin in March. The Justice Department is now bringing criminal charges against Chauvin over allegedly violating Floyd's rights and using excessive force in restraining him. CREDIT: Scott Olson/Getty Images

The Justice Department has filed federal criminal charges against Derek Chauvin, accusing the former police officer of using excessive force and violating the civil rights of George Floyd. Floyd died after Chauvin pressed on his neck for more than nine minutes on the pavement outside a convenience store last year in Minneapolis. Read More

Derek Chauvin Files For New Trial In George Floyd Murder Case

By NPR News May 4, 2021

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of murder and manslaughter on April 20 in the 2020 death of George Floyd. Minnesota Department of Corrections/AP

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin who was convicted last month of murdering George Floyd filed court documents for a new trial on Tuesday. Continue Reading Derek Chauvin Files For New Trial In George Floyd Murder CaseRead More

Derek Chauvin Found Guilty On All Charges Of Murder Against George Floyd

By NPR News April 20, 2021

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin listens to his defense attorney make closing arguments on Monday during his trial in the death of George Floyd. Court TV via AP

The jury has found former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin guilty on all the counts he faced over the death of George Floyd. The trial has been one of the most closely watched cases in recent memory, setting off a national reckoning on police violence and systemic racism even before the trial commenced. Read More

Testimony Ends Without Derek Chauvin Taking The Stand In His Trial

By NPR News April 15, 2021

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin tells the judge on Thursday he will not testify on his own behalf in his trial over the death of George Floyd. His attorney, Eric Nelson, is seen at left. Court TV/Pool via AP

Testimony ended Thursday in the murder trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. The defendant said he will not testify in his defense in the trial and would invoke his Fifth Amendment right. Continue Reading Testimony Ends Read More

Police Say ‘Accidental Discharge’ Of Gun Led To Daunte Wright’s Death In Minneapolis Suburb

By NPR News April 12, 2021

Protests lasted for hours in Brooklyn Center, Minn., where 20-year-old Black man Daunte Wright died after being shot by police Sunday. CREDIT: Evan Frost/MPR News

Mayor Mike Elliott announced Monday afternoon that the City Council had given him direct control over police operations. Later Elliott said he had relieved the city manager of his duties and assigned them to the deputy mayor. Read More

Police Chief Says Derek Chauvin Violated Minneapolis Policies On Use Of Force

By NPR News April 5, 2021

Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo testifies Monday in a Hennepin County courtroom during the trial of former officer Derek Chauvin, who faces three criminal charges over the 2020 death of George Floyd. CREDIT: Court TV/Pool via AP

Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo testified for the prosecution Monday in the trial of former officer Derek Chauvin, who is facing murder charges over the killing of George Floyd. The trial is now in its second week of testimony. Read More

Trial Begins For Derek Chauvin, Former Minneapolis Officer Accused In Killing Of George Floyd

By NPR News March 29, 2021

Defense attorney Eric Nelson (left) with his client, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, on Monday. Chauvin is on trial for murder in the death of George Floyd in police custody in May 2020. AP

The prosecution and defense made opening arguments in the murder trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin on Monday morning. The trial is starting in earnest 10 months after George Floyd's killing triggered outrage and protests against racial inequality across the United States. Read More

Half Of The Jury In The Derek Chauvin Trial Is Nonwhite. That’s Only Part Of The Story

By NPR News March 25, 2021

A member of the Minnesota National Guard stands outside the Hennepin County Government Center during jury selection in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin on March 11 in Minneapolis. Chauvin is facing murder charges in George Floyd's death. Among the 12 jurors and three alternates selected are three Black men, one Black woman and two multiracial jurors. CREDIT: Kerem Yucel/AFP via Getty Images

The jury chosen for the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, charged with murder in the death of George Floyd, is notable because it is significantly less white than Minneapolis itself. Continue Reading Read More

Minneapolis Reaches $27 Million Settlement With Family Of George Floyd

By NPR News March 13, 2021

A makeshift memorial in Minneapolis honors George Floyd as jury selection begins in the trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin. CREDIT: Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images

The Minneapolis City Council voted unanimously on Friday to approve the record settlement, which stems from a federal civil rights suit filed in July against the city and four former police officers over Floyd's fatal arrest. Continue Read More

George Floyd Case: Jury Selection Begins In Derek Chauvin’s Trial

By NPR News March 9, 2021

A screenshot from Minnesota Public Radio's live Facebook video feed of jury selection in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. CREDIT: MPR News/Screenshot by NPR

Jury selection in the highly anticipated trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin began in district court on Tuesday, even as the judge in the case awaits higher courts' rulings that could halt the proceedings. Chauvin faces charges in the killing of George Floyd last Memorial Day. Read More

Court Says Former Officer Who Kneeled On George Floyd’s Neck To Stand Trial Alone

By NPR News January 12, 2021

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who was captured on cellphone video kneeling on George Floyd's neck for several minutes, still faces a higher charge of second-degree murder. Brommerich/AP

BY BRAKKTON BOOKER A Minnesota judge has ruled that the former Minneapolis police officer seen in cellphone video kneeling on George Floyd’s neck for several minutes last summer, will stand… Continue Reading Court Read More

Judge In George Floyd Case Allows Video Of Prior Arrest To Be Made Public

By NPR News October 16, 2020

A memorial stands where George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis on May 25 while in police custody. CREDIT: Stephen Maturen/Getty Images

The prosecution had sought a 48-hour seal on court filings, which include a submission from the defense of footage of the 2019 encounter, in hopes of discussing what information to release. Continue Reading Judge In George Floyd Case Read More

Judge Says Former Minneapolis Officer Can Await Trial In George Floyd’s Murder Out Of State

By NPR News October 9, 2020

Malaysia Hammond places flowers at a memorial mural for George Floyd in Minneapolis on Sunday. Police brutality has sparked days of civil unrest. But the sparks have landed in a tinderbox built over decades of economic inequality, now exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic.

The former police officer charged with murder in the killing of George Floyd can leave Minnesota while he awaits trial. Floyd's family lawyer called it "an example of two justice systems in America." Continue Reading Read More

Body Camera Video From Minneapolis Police Offers New Details Of George Floyd’s Death

By NPR News August 14, 2020

Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin is seen struggling to force George Floyd into the back seat of a police SUV, in newly released body camera video recorded by officer Tou Thao. Both Chauvin and Thao were fired, along with two other officers involved in Floyd's death on Memorial Day. All four former officers are facing charges. Hennepin County/MPR/YouTube/Screenshot by NPR

In the police video, Tou Thao seems to get increasingly agitated as the crowd becomes more vocal, with onlookers repeatedly asking him why Floyd's vital signs weren't being checked. Continue Reading Body Camera Video From Read More

Family Of George Floyd, Whose Death Sparked Protests, Says Final Goodbye

By NPR News June 9, 2020

A woman stops to photograph a memorial Tuesday for Floyd at The Fountain of Praise church in Houston. CREDIT: Eric Gay/AP

George Floyd's death at the hands of police sparked protests around the world. His family's private service Tuesday follows public memorials that drew thousands of mourners. Continue Reading Family Of George Floyd, Whose Death Sparked Read More

Judge Sets $1 Million Bail For Derek Chauvin In George Floyd’s Death

By NPR News June 8, 2020

A facility worker brings a TV inside the Hennepin County Public Safety Facility on Monday in Minneapolis, part of preparations for the first court hearing for former police Officer Derek Chauvin. Kerem Yucel /AFP via Getty Images

In a handwritten note on the order for conditional release, the judge added a stipulation for Chauvin: "Do not work in law enforcement or security." Continue Reading Judge Sets $1 Million Bail For Derek Chauvin In George Floyd’s Read More

For One Immigrant Community, George Floyd’s Death Isn’t Just About Black And White

By NPR News June 4, 2020

Gaosong Heu talks about reactions in the Hmong community to the killing of George Floyd. Former police officer Tou Thao, a Hmong American, is seen on video of the killing running interference with the crowd and standing watch. His involvement has stirred a racial debate among Asian Americans.

The video shows a white police killings seen nationwide — but there's a third identifiable person: an Asian American officer seen running interference with the crowd and standing watch. He's now-former Minneapolis police officer Tou Thao, a Hmong American — which is how you know this isn't "any" city. It's Minneapolis. Read More

Most of the bans aim to curb emissions and protect pedestrians. The bans are also sometimes touted as a way to help fight obesity, but past studies suggest they don't have that effect. Continue Reading Why U.S. Cities Are Banning New Fast-Food Read More