On May 25, 2020, 46-year-old George Floyd was murdered by a white Minneapolis Police Department officer. The fatal arrest, which saw officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes, spurred nationwide protests while also again highlighting the widespread lack of progress the U.S. has made in combatting police brutality.
As memorials and other events take place on the second anniversary of Floyd’s death, Complex is taking a look at a number of key developments from the past two years, including Chauvin’s eventual conviction and recent word on how the Biden administration is marking the date.
When: May 29, 2020
What: Derek Chauvin was arrested on May 29 and charged in Floyd’s death. His initial charges were later amended by Minnesota AG Keith Ellison with the notable tweak of adding a count of unintentional second-degree murder.
When: June 4, 2020
What: A funeral is held for Floyd in Minneapolis. During the funeral, those gathered were asked to participate in a moment of silence, the length of which was intended to match the amount of time Chauvin kept his knee to Floyd’s neck. A USA Today report at the time noted that attendees of the service included Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. Later in June, another service was held in the Houston area, where Floyd was laid to rest.
When: March 12, 2021
What: Following a civil lawsuit from Floyd’s family, the city of Minneapolis agreed to pay a reported $27 million to settle the suit. In a statement at the time, civil rights attorney Ben Crump—who represented the family—said the settlement marked “one step on the journey to justice.”
When: April 20, 2021
What: A verdict was reached in Chauvin’s murder trial, with the now-former Minneapolis cop being found guilty on all three counts—second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter. The sitting judge in the trial was Hennepin County’s Peter Cahill.
When: May 7, 2021
What: Derek Chauvin, Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng, and Thomas Lane were all named in a federal grand jury indictment unsealed on this date. All four men were charged with federal civil rights crimes, with the indictment saying the officers had “willfully deprived Mr. Floyd of his constitutional rights.”
When: June 25, 2021
What: Chauvin received a sentence of 22 and a half years behind bars in Floyd’s murder. While the punishment was higher than what some had predicted, it didn’t match the 30-year sentence asked for by prosecutors in the case.
When: Dec. 15, 2021
What: Chauvin pleaded guilty to “willfully depriving” Floyd of his constitutional rights, resulting in “bodily injury and death.” In connection with a separate incident and charge, Chauvin also pleaded guilty to willfully depriving a teen of his rights, resulting in bodily injury, in September 2017.
“While recognizing that nothing can repair the harm caused by such acts, the Justice Department is committed to holding accountable those who violate the Constitution, and to safeguarding the civil rights of all Americans,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said when announcing Chauvin’s plea agreement.
When: Feb. 24, 2022
What: Thao and Kueng were convicted for having deprived Food of his right to be free from an officer’s “unreasonable force” by willfully failing to intervene on Chauvin. Additionally, Thao, Kueng, and Lane were all three determined to have deprived Floyd of his right to be from an officer’s “deliberate indifference to his serious medical needs” by failing to provide aid.
When: May 18, 2022
What: Lane pleaded guilty to a count of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter in connection with Floyd’s murder. As part of a plea agreement, per the Associated Press, an aiding and abetting second-degree unintentional murder charge will be dismissed. While Lane is expected to receiving sentencing in September, a state-level trial (as of May 2022) was slated to move forward next month for Thao and Kueng.
When: May 25, 2022
What: Ahead of the two-year anniversary, the Justice Department was revealed to have announced an update to its use-of-force policy requiring agents and other federal officers to intervene whenever witnessing “excessive force.” In a subsequent report from CNN amid coverage of the policy update, which notably marked the first such change since 2004, sources linked the DOJ development to then-anticipated moves from Biden on May 25.
Announced Wednesday, Biden’s executive order is designed to “advance effective, accountable policing and criminal justice practices that will build public trust and strengthen public safety.” Mentioned in a White House breakdown of the order is a national police misconduct database “in which all federal law enforcement agencies must participate.”
