Cop who killed George  Floyd could  face harsh sentence

AFP – A judge o Wednesday established several aggravating circumstances against white police officer Derek Chauvin, convicted of the death of black citizen George Floyd paving the way for the imposition of a harsh sentence in the case that shocked the United States and crossed borders.

In a resolution released on the day, Magistrate Peter Cahill, who must deliver a sentence on June 25, lists four factors that will allow him to free himself from the current range of penalties in the state of Minnesota, according to which Chauvin faces 12 years in prison.

For the magistrate, the police officer involved “abused his position of trust and authority”; “treated George Floyd with great cruelty”; he acted violently in the

presence of four “children” and “committed his crime in the middle of a crowd” of people and placed him face down on the ground. Chauvin knelt on his neck and held the pressure for nearly ten minutes, despite pleas from the suspect and bystanders.

Images of the event were disseminated on social networks, which generated massive protests in the US and several other parts of the world, in a reaction against racism and police brutality.

Chauvin has been in jail since April 20 and three other officers who were present at the scene are facing charges.