Former Minneapolis officer who helped restrain George Floyd pleads guilty as jury selection set to begin Monday
This week’s verdict against George Floyd may be the most important in his two decades-long legal saga.
It’s a verdict that may also finally clear his name.
Minneapolis Officer Christopher Sharpe, who shot Floyd in October 2009, pleaded guilty Friday to manslaughter in the case. The deal was for no more than nine years in prison, though sentencing is expected to be delayed for eight months to give Floyd time to recover from his trial.
Sharpe, who served as a Minneapolis cop until his firing in 2017, shot Floyd, a 52-year-old black man, after the unarmed Floyd attacked him by crashing through the front door of a Minneapolis apartment. The police report says Sharpe had been drinking the night before and was carrying a knife.
Floyd’s father is white.
Floyd’s case has been deeply troubled by race and the fact that the officers didn’t stop him. A jury took nearly six hours Saturday to convict Floyd on murder charges. After the verdict, Sharpe was charged with involuntary manslaughter in the shooting.
But there are many more questions to be answered: How will Floyd’s legal team address the fact that officers who claim to be following department protocols failed in their duties, which included tracking down the race of the person running through their doors? What will be the role of the jury in the decision process? Will a new civil trial against the officer occur? And how, with Floyd’s name cleared, will the city seek to restore trust?
‘The whole world was watching’: Video shows Floyd being transported into county jail
In the past, Floyd, with his family’s encouragement, has insisted there’s no need for a civil trial. The U.S. Department of Justice, which had civil rights lawyers working for Floyd on his behalf until last year, has declined to participate in any such
