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Prosecutors Seek 30 Years for Officer Convicted in Death of George Floyd

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Minnesota prosecutors are asking a court to sentence former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin to 30 years in prison after he was convicted of killing George Floyd, court documents revealed.
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In April, Chauvin was convicted of second- and third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in Floyd's death. He will be sentenced on June 16.

"The State respectfully requests a sentence of 360 months, or 30 years, for Defendant Derek Chauvin, a former police officer convicted by a jury of second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter in connection with the death of George Floyd," state prosecutors said in the court documents on Wednesday.

Chauvin tried to arrest Floyd, who was accused of using a fake $20 bill at a local convenience store, and kneeled on the neck for more than nine minutes. After complaining he could not breathe, Floyd became unconscious during the arrest and died later at a hospital.

Floyd’s death triggered mass protests in a large number of major cities in the United States, where demonstrators denounced police brutality and demanded justice for Blacks who suffered at the hands of US police officers. Some of the protests turned into riots complete with acts of vandalism and property destruction.

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