Derek Chauvin's guilty verdict in the George Floyd trial is "not a cause for celebration," according to a lead prosecutor.

The former Minneapolis police officer was found guilty on April 20 of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter.

The ex-cop now faces a maximum sentence of up to 40 years behind bars for his role in Floyd's tragic death, which saw Chauvin kneel on his neck for over nine minutes back in May 2020.

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And while millions have welcomed the guilty verdict with open arms, the attorney general of Minnesota Keith Ellison says he did not celebrate the outcome.

Per The Star Tribune, the lead prosecutor has reflected on the ordeal that sparked a mass protests across the nation, saying: "It's not a cause for celebration."

He told the publication: "It’s sad, very sad. One man’s dead and another man’s going to prison for a long time."

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Ellison's team led the prosecution in this trial, which was assisted by the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.

The attorney general of Minnesota was responsible for bringing several high-profile external attorneys to work alongside the prosecution.

But while Ellison says Chauvin's verdict did not spark a sigh of relief from him, the same cannot be said for Floyd's family.

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Per People magazine, George's bother, Philonise Floyd, stated that the family was now "able to breathe again".

George's other brother, Terrance, stated:

"My family is a family that will not back down from prayer. And I believe because of prayer, we got the verdict we wanted.

"We got on our knees. Some of us stood up, but we asked the right one. We said – God, we need justice, we need it now. And he answered. I'm just grateful."

Additionally, in an interview with Good Morning Britain, Floyd's 52-year-old sister, LaTonya, said that she would be "praying" for Chauvin.

Speaking after the verdict, she said:

"I pray for him, I pray for him, I do and I’m going to continue to pray for him.

"In his heart, he wasn't guilty, he wasn't really expecting that. He has nothing to apologize for because he didn't think he was wrong."

The ex-cop will be sentenced on June 16, with the time of the hearing being set for 1:30PM (central).

Featured image credit: Sipa US / Alamy

Derek Chauvin's guilty verdict is 'not a cause for celebration', lead prosecutor says