Verdict Reached In Chauvin Trial: Houston Reacts

HOUSTON, TX — Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has been found guilty on charges of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the death of George Floyd in police custody.

The jury deliberated for 10 hours before returning the verdict.

Chauvin, who is white, was charged in the death of Floyd, a Black man from Houston who died after Chauvin kneeled on him for more than nine minutes despite Floyd's protests that he could not breathe. Floyd's death sparked nationwide protests demanding racial justice and police reform.

Those protests reached Conroe last June, when around 100 residents cooperated with the Conroe Police Department to stage a protest downtown, according to the Conroe Courier.

Members of Floyd's family yelled in excitement at the announcement of the verdict, reported ABC 13 in Houston.

"Justice is a process and these jurors showed tremendous courage in reaching a just verdict," Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said in a statement. "Our thoughts are with the family and friends of George Floyd, a Houston son whose murder is a defining moment in American criminal justice."

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner tweeted a photograph of him watching the verdict.