Press Releases

Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson issued the following statement in response to the sentencing of former police officer, Derek Chauvin:

"Last year, then-Officer Derek Chauvin shocked the nation's conscience when he brutally murdered Floyd on a Minneapolis street in front of a group of witnesses that included young children. Today he was sentenced to 22 ½ years in prison. He also faces a federal indictment of depriving Mr. Floyd of his civil rights and a similar charge for using a neck restraint and beating a teenager in the head with a flashlight that hopefully will result in many more years behind bars.

"I pray that today's sentence will bring some measure of peace to the Floyd family and to the exceptionally courageous witnesses who testified, including Darnella Frazier, without whose video evidence the former police officer might be a free man.

"Chauvin's conviction was an all-too rare rebuke against a police officer for killing someone while on duty. It is my sincere hope that other officers will learn an important lesson from the tragic and needless killing of Mr. Floyd and pledge to not replicate Chauvin's ghastly error in judgement."