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New Day
Ex-Officer Guilty on All Counts in George Floyd's Death; Attention Shifts to Three Other Officers at Floyd's Arrest; Columbus Officer Fatally Shoots Teenage Girl Holding Knife. Aired 6-6:30a ET
Aired April 21, 2021 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. This is a special edition of NEW DAY. I'm John Berman alongside Brianna Keilar.
[06:00:10]
For George Floyd's family this morning, you know, it was more than a verdict. The jury in Minneapolis found former Police Officer Derek Chauvin guilty on all three counts. It took just ten hours of deliberations.
Chauvin is in a prison cell this morning, and he may remain there for decades after his sentence is handed down in two months.
Overnight at the intersection where George Floyd drew his final breath, celebrations and a sense of overwhelming relief.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN CRUMP, ATTORNEY FOR GEORGE FLOYD'S FAMILY: Say his name!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: George Floyd!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: George Floyd!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: George Floyd!
CRUMP: Say his name!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: George Floyd!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: George Floyd!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: George Floyd!
CRUMP: Say his name!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: George Floyd!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: George Floyd!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: George Floyd!
CRUMP: Say his name!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: George Floyd!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: George Floyd!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: George Floyd!
CRUMP: Say his name!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: George Floyd!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: George Floyd!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: George Floyd!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: George Floyd's family. His brother says he can now sleep for the first time in a year.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: President Biden and Vice President Harris called the Floyd family soon after the verdict was announced, the president also urging Americans to confront police brutality and systemic racism.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: "I can't breathe." Those are George Floyd's last words. We can't let those words die with him. We have to keep hearing those words. We must not turn away. We can't turn away.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Once the verdict was read, Americans took to the streets in city after city to celebrate the decision. We begin now with Adrienne Broaddus, who is live in Minneapolis.
Adrienne, what's happening there?
ADRIENNE BROADDUS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's calm. We just heard a rattle behind us, but that was a member with the National Guard adjusting one of the fences behind us.
The barricades and fencing is still in place, but take a look at this. The headline in the "Star Tribune" this morning sums it all up. It says, "Convicted: Jury Finds Derek Chauvin Guilty of Murder."
And this is a headline many Minnesotans and people beyond the state of Minnesota hoped they would see but feared they would not see this headline. And if you ask why, they didn't think it would happen based on history. Some of them citing the case of Philando Castille, who was shot and killed in Falcon Heights. And the aftermath to that incident was caught on video. They thought the video would have been enough in that case, but it wasn't. So you can imagine when the verdict was read yesterday, there was a
symphony of celebration. We heard cars honking their horns. We heard people cheering, and we also saw people crying openly in the middle of the street. The tears were tears of joy, not happy because of what happened to Floyd, but thankful and grateful they were finally seen. Listen in to what Floyd's brother had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PHILONISE FLOYD, GEORGE FLOYD'S BROTHER: Being able to know that it's justice for African-American people, just people of color, period, in this world, this is monumental, this is historic, this is a pivotal moment in history.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROADDUS: A lot of people were asking yesterday how was the Floyd family able to be so calm amid all of the chaos, and the family leans heavily on their faith.
I spoke with George Floyd's aunt earlier this morning. I also talked to his cousin. And I said, How will you be able to forgive Derek Chauvin? And they said that's what their faith teaches them to do. They said forgiving isn't always easy, but they will forgive Chauvin. But they will not forget what happened.
And another thing we can't forget, I can't forget the conversation I had with 9-year-old Judeah Reynolds about a month after the killing of George Floyd. She told me that day she had begged her big cousin, Darnella Frazier, to take her to the store. She wanted to purchase snacks, specifically Starbursts.
And finally, toward the end of the day, Darnella said, OK, let's go. And that little 9-year-old said, If we didn't walk to the store at that time, they would still kill us.
And I said, "Who is 'they'?"
And she said, "Police." And that 9-year-old had the foresight to see that the video was a powerful tool, a silent witness. And we've seen the power of that video over the last three weeks -- Brianna.
KEILAR: Perhaps the most important witness in this case that has ended in this guilty verdict. Adrienne, thank you so much, live for us from Minneapolis.
The sentencing for Derek Chauvin is scheduled for June. So what factors are going to go into the judge's decision here? And how long could Chauvin stay in prison?
Let's get more on this now from Laura Jarrett, the anchor of CNN's "EARLY START." She's also an attorney who covered -- who has covered justice reform. Can you talk -- or the Justice Department. Laura, what sort of sentence might Derek Chauvin face here?
[06:05:11] LAURA JARRETT, CNN ANCHOR: So look, guys, he is facing significant time here, but it's actually less than you might think.
The jury found Derek Chauvin guilty on three different counts: second- degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter. Now, the maximum sentence on those counts ranges anywhere from 10 to 40 years, but Chauvin's not going to serve anywhere near close to that, and here's why.
The judge is going to follow what's known as the sentencing guidelines, which say you have to take into account someone's prior criminal history. In this case, Chauvin doesn't have any, so that puts him, actually, in a lower sentencing range on each of these three charges, more likely in the neighborhood of 10 to 15 years.
Also important to note here, even though he was convicted of three different crimes, in Minnesota, sentences generally run concurrently. What does that mean? He's going to do time for all three all at once, as opposed to just having to serve each block back to back before starting another.
KEILAR: And on top of that, the prosecution has already said, Laura, that they're going to ask the judge to go higher than that recommendation. Explain that to us.
JARRETT: Right. So given the disturbing facts of this case, the prosecutors are going to argue certain aggravating circumstances call for more time in prison, and they've already pointed to five different reasons here.
Two are about Floyd and what happened to him. Prosecutors are going to argue, look, he was particularly vulnerable, because he was handcuffed. He was unconscious. And the crime had a particular cruelty to it. We've all seen the video so many times of Floyd, all those bystanders begging for his life.
Three other issues here to notice have to do more with the situation as opposed -- as opposed to Floyd. One, Chauvin's abuse of his authority as a police officer, the fact that the crime happened as part of a group with three or more people. There's other officers involved.
And of course, children were present. You remember that testimony from that 9-year-old girl, as Adrienne mentioned in her piece -- John.
BERMAN: Sentencing, again, in two months. Laura Jarrett, thanks so much for being with us.
I want to bring in Jamar Tisby. He's the author of "How to Fight Racism" and the founder and president of The Witness, a black Christian collective.
Jamar, I've been looking forward to speaking with you this morning about this, because you say your emotions run the gamut from relief to cautious optimism to gratitude. Why? Why that range? JAMAR TISBY, FOUNDER/PRESIDENT, THE WITNESS: Well, you can hear from
the reactions of other people who heard the verdict in this trial. It's as if we won one small battle in a very long war.
So there is the immediate sense of joy and of exhilaration and of exhaling from all this tension that we've been holding in. And at the same time, there's the reality that it's just one decision. It's just one small verdict, a very important verdict, but in a much broader scope of issues regarding policing and the criminal justice system and the way black people are treated in America.
So we have to feel all of these emotions at once, and we have to make space for all of them; because honestly there's no one right emotion in an instance like this.
KEILAR: Do you see it as one data point, or do you see this as a verdict that opens up the possibility of other juries, of Americans as they did in this case, seeing very much the humanity of George Floyd? Do you think this changes the range of possibility for outcomes in other cases?
TISBY: I do hope this verdict helps to set a precedent that even people who have a badge can be guilty of murder. It's more than just poor judgment. It's taking someone's life unlawfully, and they will be held accountable.
But realistically, look what it take -- look what it took to secure a conviction in this case. We had incontrovertible video evidence from multiple angles. We had eyewitness testimony from multiple people, including children. We had historic uprisings in 2020, all to put eyes on this case.
And in many, many, many, many more cases, we don't have all of that. The justice of the situation is still clear, but look at all that it took just to convince people that this was murder.
And so in that sense, I'm not sure that this particular case is going to completely change the way that we look at convicting police officers who are guilty of murder.
BERMAN: Jamar, I want your take on the significance of George Floyd as a person going forward, and I want to play what Speaker Nancy Pelosi said about this. And I'm not doing this to troll Nancy Pelosi, but I think it's important to frame how we think about things, again, looking forward. So listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[06:10:07]
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): Thank you, George Floyd, for sacrificing your life for justice, for being there to call out to your mom. How heartbreaking was that, calling out for your mom, "I can't breathe." But because of you and because of thousands, millions of people around the world who came out for justice, your name will always be synonymous with justice. (END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: Thank you, George Floyd, for your sacrifice. Why don't you think that's the right way to think about this?
TISBY: I think people who say that George Floyd's life was a sacrifice for justice are well meaning but misguided, and honestly, in 2021 after all we've seen, we have to do better.
George Floyd did not ask to be a sacrifice. He should be alive today. And moreover, it shouldn't take the death of black people, people of color, or anyone to show what justice looks like or to call this nation to its higher ideals. That should just be the case regardless, and it shouldn't take the murder of yet another person in order for us to see what justice looks like.
And this is another instance of what it looks like to value black life. We shouldn't treat black life and discard it in the sense that it takes someone being killed in order for us to understand justice.
KEILAR: Yes. This -- it was an important outcome, but certainly it was a bittersweet one, and we heard that from so many people. Jamar Tisby, thank you so much for lending your perspective this morning.
George Floyd's family getting a personal call from President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris while they were still in the courthouse. The president's message to America about the need to rebuild the relationship between the police and the people they serve.
BERMAN: We're also following a developing story overnight, a deadly police shooting involving a 16-year-old girl. The disturbing body camera video of what happened.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[06:16:27]
KEILAR: President Biden called Derek Chauvin's murder conviction in George Floyd's death a giant step towards justice in America, but that so much more needs to be done.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: Most men and women who wear the badge serve their communities honorably, but those few who fail to meet that standard must be held accountable, and they were today. One was. No one should be above the law, and today's verdict sends that message.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Let's bring in Joe Ested. He is a former police officer and also the author of "Police Brutality Matters."
Joe, I know you were surprised by the verdict. Tell us what message this sends to law enforcement. JOE ESTED, FORMER POLICE OFFICER: Well, thank you for having me. It
sends a strong message that you have to follow policy procedures in your training. For years, law enforcement had been given a pass. Disregarding policy and procedures was OK. It's a new day, and I'm glad to see the verdict that we have.
BERMAN: It was remarkable to watch the video from the courtroom yesterday after the verdict came in, guilty on all three counts. And then after the judge revoked bail -- there, we just played it -- Derek Chauvin stood up and put his hand behind his back right away. It was as if to say, you know, I knew this was coming.
It's also a vivid image, I think, for society to see, but what do police see when they see it? I've been communicating with one of my dear friends who's a police officer overnight, and he thinks this is a good message for police officers to see.
ESTED: Yes. It's definitely a good message for officers who follow policy and procedures. As the president said, we -- we do have bad apples. And for a long time, the blue wall, the culture of policing has protected the bad apples.
And if you're a good cop, you want accountability. Because there's nothing like a bad cop when it comes down to good policing. Good cops hate bad officers. And we have more good officers than we have bad. And this sends a strong message that we no longer are going to tolerate bad officers.
And I -- I appreciate the -- the prosecution doing an excellent job. As prosecutors, we -- especially me, I've never seen a prosecution team go so hard at a police officer. Normally, police officers get the benefit of the doubt with the community, as well as in the courtroom. So I'm extremely grateful.
And now that we have police reform that was passed in the House, now we're waiting for the Senate. This sends a message just to every taxpayers, that over a billion dollars in bad police payouts is soon going to be coming to an end.
KEILAR: What do you want to see in those efforts? In those efforts for justice reform and policing reform? What is essential to moving the needle further?
ESTED: I would like to see real police legislation. For one, a special prosecutor team of prosecutors that specialize in prosecuting police officers. Because we've seen officers get prosecuted before in the court. And it seemed like they're still given the benefit of the doubt.
These guys did an excellent job when it comes down to putting the police management on the stand, training, policy procedures. If you notice all these high-profile cases, they're habitual violations of policy and procedures, training.
So I'm so glad that we've actually seen a prosecution team come out and do an amazing job when it comes down to prosecuting police officers.
[06:20:06]
BERMAN: I think it's --
ESTED: So I would definitely like to see a prosecuting team and the removal of qualified immunity, because taxpayers have paid out over a billion dollars. It makes no sense. You're paying out taxes for bad policing, and that has to stop.
BERMAN: I didn't mean to interrupt at all, Joe. But I do think you made such a good point here about what made this case feel very different to a lot of Americans. And it was the zeal that the prosecution did its work. It was the fact that police came forward almost in unanimity, condemning what they saw from Derek Chauvin. That is just different. The question is, will that difference continue going forward?
Joe Ested, thanks so much for being with us. We appreciate your insight here.
ESTED: Thanks for having me.
BERMAN: So another trial in George Floyd's death is still on the horizon, this time for the three other officers who were part of the arrest. What Chauvin's conviction could mean for them, next.
KEILAR: Plus, as the Derek Chauvin's verdict is handed down, a teenage girl is fatally shot in -- by police in Columbus, Ohio. What the body camera video shows, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[06:25:23]
BERMAN: So overnight, people gathering for a memorial in George Floyd Square outside the market where he was murdered. Now questions about what Derek Chauvin's guilty verdict means for the three other former Minneapolis officers charged in the death of George Floyd.
Shimon Prokupecz live in Minneapolis with more on that. This will be very interesting to see, Shimon, especially after this one guilty verdict.
SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It certainly will be, John. That trial is supposed to start taking place on August 23, and obviously, that is going to shift the focus of the prosecutors in this case to put together that prosecution, continue to proceed in that case.
We're going hear from many of the same witnesses, the same evidence; going to see all of that body camera, the body-worn camera replayed for a new jury.
Those three defendants, those three former officers, are going to be tried together. They would have been tried together with George Floyd, had it not been a pandemic. The only reason why the cases were separated was because of the
restrictions related to the pandemic, so that's why they all weren't tried together.
But certainly, we're going to see a lot of the same witnesses, a lot of the same evidence; and a lot of the same circumstances are going to be presented to a new jury.
Of course, those officers are charged with aiding and abetting manslaughter and murder. But interestingly, John, by then, by the time that trial gets started, Derek Chauvin should have been sentencing -- sentenced. So we're going to see how that's going to play into the trial, John.
BERMAN: You would expect the lawyers for these three other former officers to say, maybe Derek Chauvin was the bad guy. This was all his fault. Our guys, maybe not as bad as him. We'll see what defense strategy they choose.
Shimon Prokupecz, thanks very much.
KEILAR: Developing this morning, protests in Columbus, Ohio, the scene of another deadly police shooting. This happened minutes before the verdict was handed down in the Derek Chauvin trial, and the victim here is a 16-year-old girl.
According to police, the officer fired after the teen tried to cut two other girls with a knife, but in the graphic body camera video of the incident, it shows a very chaotic scene. It is incredibly difficult to discern exactly what is happening here, and there are still so many questions that need to be answered.
CNN's Ryan Young is live for us in Columbus with the latest. Ryan, what are you learn about this? This is -- it is very difficult to understand what's happening in this -- in this video.
RYAN YOUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, absolutely. And, look, protesters even took to the street last night to say they were very upset about this.
The fact that they released this video so quickly, you can understand what the city was trying to do, in terms of letting people know what position their officer was in. From what we know right now, there was some sort of disturbance call. There was obviously a fight going on.
When the officer arrives, he made a split-second decision. Of course, some people in the community don't think that's the right way.
We're going to warn you, though, the video is -- is difficult to watch. It's disturbing. We're going to show it to you in real time the first time through. Take a watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(UNINTELLIGIBLE YELLING)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, what's going on? What's going on? What's going on? Hey, hey, hey. Get down. Get down. Get down.
(GUNFIRE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (EXPLETIVE DELETED)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
YOUNG: So Ma'Khia Bryant is the young lady who was in it, and she was 16 years old. The officer arrived and said he saw a knife and then opened fire, unfortunately shooting that young lady four times. She did die.
We've also had the video slowed down. Well, this police department actually slowed this video down as they released this video. Take a watch of this version of it as police show what their officer was dealing with.
So I'm not sure you still see this video, but right now, the officer approaches. There's a knife. There's some -- there's some movement there, and then he opens fire.
Now, of course, there's a lot of people who are upset with this decision, so a lot of questions will be going on.
The officer is being put on paid administrative leave. It normally happens after a shooting like this. On top of that, of course, there's calls in the community for more of an investigation.
But listen to what the mayor had to say during this difficult situation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR ANDREW GINTHER (D), COLUMBUS OHIO: Not just the mayor. I'm a father. The city of Columbus lost a 15-year-old girl today. We know, based on this footage.
