ROANOKE, Va. – Derek Chauvin, the man convicted of murdering George Floyd learned his fate Friday as he was sentenced to 22.5 years in prison.
The prosecution originally requested a 30-year sentence.
George Floyd’s uncle, Selwyn Jones, said he is satisfied with the sentence from Judge Peter Cahill.
“I’m not mad at Chauvin,” Jones said. “I’m not mad at police officers. I’m mad at the system. It’s the system that failed my nephew. It wasn’t the police officers.”
He added, “if the police officers weren’t grandfathered into a ruthless system and didn’t take advantage of situations, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”
Jones said he was not surprised that Chauvin’s mother, Carolyn Pawlenty, made a statement at the sentencing as he feels all mothers are going to support their children.
He does feel that more work needs to be done to prevent these incidents from happening in the future.
In March, the House passed the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to usher reform against police brutality and racial injustice; however, Jones said he feels politicians have “forgotten us” as the bill still waits for Senate approval in order to become a law.