TAMPA BAY, Fla. — Tampa Bay residents, representatives, politicians and others are responding to the verdict in former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin's murder trial over his role in the May 2020 death of George Floyd during Floyd's arrest.

What You Need To Know

  • The jury reached a verdict in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin

  • Chauvin was found guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter

  • The reaction on social media was swift and varied

After approximately 11 hours of deliberation over two days, the jury returned at 4:30 p.m. EST on Tuesday, April 20 with the verdict: guilty of second-degree murder, guilty of third-degree murder, and guilty of second-degree manslaughter.

Just before the verdict was read, Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister tweeted:

Reactions began appearing on social media and elsewhere immediately following Chauvin's convictions on all three of the counts with which he was charged.

Florida U.S. Representative (and St. Petersburg resident) Charlie Crist released a statement saying, "Today, the family and loved ones of George Floyd are in my thoughts as our nation witnesses justice finally being served for the tragic and all too familiar murder of an unarmed Black man. Derek Chauvin broke his promise to serve and protect the people of Minneapolis and for his actions, he has been held accountable. Our nation now has one less bad cop out on the street, and while I join millions of Americans in breathing a sigh of relief, there is still so much more we must do. I know this legal victory does not fill the void left behind by the loss of George, but I pray the Floyd family find lasting peace and comfort in this verdict and are inspired by the path of justice and equality George’s death has propelled our nation to take.

“We will and must continue to work towards a better, more just and equal tomorrow – where the color of our skin does not determine whether we get to live or die. I pray for the Floyd family, I pray for Minneapolis, and I pray for our nation. Justice has been served. May George Floyd rest in peace.”

St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman weighed in simply on his Facebook page.

On the other side of Tampa Bay, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor released a statement of her own:

"A verdict can't undo the tragedy of last summer, but this decision can ensure that George Floyd's life was not lost in vain.

His death is prompting the law enforcement profession to evolve across our country."

The ACLU of Florida took to Twitter with a threaded reaction:

Sheriff Chronister followed up on his Facebook page to say that Chauvin's actions were not representative of law enforcement.

Black Lives Matter Pasco County also took to its Facebook page with a statement:

Sean Kinane, a journalist with Bay area community radio station WMNF 88.5 FM, retweeted the response of a crowd in Richmond, VA:

The post on Spectrum Bay News 9's Facebook page was quickly flooded with comments expressing a wide variety of perspectives on the verdict, from support of the Minneapolis police officers who testified that Chauvin violated department protocols to racist memes.

"His own department didn't even have his back on this one. That to me sealed his fate long before the verdict," wrote one commenter.

"So wrong," wrote another.

"You understand killing someone is the exact opposite of 'protect and serve,' right?" wrote another in response to a comment expressing solidarity with all law enforcement officers.

A large percentage of the comments expressed worry that riots might happen as a result of the trial's conclusion.