The punishment ended one chapter of a reckoning that spread from questions of official force to a broad reappraisal of discrimination inherent in American institutions. More than a year after the killing, matters of race have taken center stage as the nation emerges from protests and the pandemic.

A jury in April convicted Chauvin in the death of Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man and father. On May 25, 2020, Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds after detaining him on suspicion of passing a counterfeit bill. Floyd begged for mercy as his air supply dwindled.