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Derek Chauvin NOT handcuffed while leaving court, sparks outrage

Derek Chauvin got 22.5 years for George Floyd's murder and while many slammed the verdict, others noticed that the ex-cop wasn't handcuffed out of court

Derek Chauvin's prison sentence for the death of George Floyd sparked a major uproar with many asking why the former Minneapolis police officer was not handcuffed while being led out of court. 

Chauvin was sentenced to 22 and a half years in prison for the death of Floyd in his custody in May last year. His highly anticipated trial was widely considered a watershed moment in the history of policing in the United States. On April 20, a jury found the 45-year-old former cop guilty of unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. It's worth noting that prosecutors had asked for a 30-year prison sentence, thereby doubling the upper limit in sentencing guidelines for a first-time offender.

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Social media was inundated with disgruntled reactions to the verdict, and the fact that Chauvin got to leave the court without being handcuffed.

"Derek Chauvin sentenced to 22.5 years in prison for committing murder but still walked out of the courtroom without handcuffs! George Floyd allegedly used a fake $20 bill and was handcuffed and held to the ground until he stopped breathing!" radio host Jazzy T tweeted. "Derek Chauvin is sentenced to ONLY 22.5 years in prison for the murder of George Floyd. Meaning he will probably serve only 10 years. And why isn’t he taken away in handcuffs? This isn’t justice," one Twitter user said.

"So Derek Chauvin doesn't get handcuffed before leaving with cops with guns?" another added. "Did y'all notice that the deputies didn't handcuff Derek Chauvin as they normally do leaving court...I think they did that as a silent protest...What y'all think?" a third proposed. "I’ll take the 270 months, but don’t understand why convicted murderer Derek Chauvin got to leave the courtroom without the shame of handcuffs," another chimed in.

Floyd's family reacted to the verdict and noted that even though the "punishment didn't fit the crime", it's important to "keep fighting".

Speaking of the verdict, Floyd’s sister Bridgett Floyd said, “The sentence handed down today to the Minneapolis police officer who killed my brother George Floyd shows that matters of police brutality are finally being taken seriously. However, we have a long way to go and many changes to make before Black and Brown people finally feel like they are being treated fairly and humanely by law enforcement in this country.” Floyd's maternal aunt Angela Harrelson called the decision bittersweet and said, "We did good to get the verdict. Does the punishment fit the crime? No, it doesn’t. But this is why it’s so important for us to keep fighting for a better judicial system.” 

Floyd's cousin Brandon Williams said about the verdict. "We got justice, but not enough justice. Twenty-two years is not enough." He added, "Gianna can't hug George again. We can't get George back. So in retrospect, I think he should have received a life sentence as well. I won't celebrate this. I won't celebrate it at all. But I will celebrate a guilty conviction of a police officer that killed a Black man. This 22 and a half years just doesn't work for me," he said.