Mr Chauvin was charged with second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in George Floyd’s death on May 25, 2020, and was today found guilty of all three charges.
Judge Peter Cahill granted the motion to have Chauvin’s bail revoked, and he was led away from the dock after jurors confirmed their verdicts.
He was handcuffed and taken into custody by the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office.
Judge Cahill said sentencing would begin in eight weeks’ time.
Emotional scenes have since erupted across the US, with people celebrating and cheering as justice prevails for Floyd.
Crowds gathered outside the Minneapolis courtroom and at the location where Floyd was killed, chanting “justice” and “Black Lives Matter” after hearing the verdict at 4.10pm local time today.
9News US correspondent Alison Piotrowski, who was outside the court, told Today people had flooded Minneapolis streets to rejoice over the news.
“We’ve got people hugging here and really beautiful, emotional scenes, people are celebrating,” she said.
“This is justice for George Floyd’s family and also potentially a historic turning point for a country that has been so divided.”
One woman outside the courthouse told 9News she was “overly enthralled” by the verdict for the crime that shocked America and the world.
“Just thank God,” she said.
“I thought from the beginning they were going to do right. We were going to do this. It was going to stop here. I’m so proud.”
The guilty verdict means Chauvin could potentially face up to 40 years in prison.
US President Joe Biden called Floyd’s family after the verdict was delivered, appearing to be “quite emotional”.
“They were still I think just inside the courtroom there, or in the courthouse certainly, and Joe Biden was quite emotional and she was ecstatic,” 9News US correspondent Amelia Adams told Today.
“He said: ‘I’m so relieved we finally have justice.’ He also promised that this would be the start of doing more. He said: ‘We’re not going to stop until we see change. There will be more action.’ So this is the President of the United States promising that today.
“It is that line in the sand, if you like, that turning point for the way America, the way certainly the American justice system, law enforcement system, treats black people in this country.”
Adams said the verdict was a “historic day” for America and the Black Lives Matter movement.
“It is enormous, a very much historic moment,” she said.
“This is really vindication for the BLM movement. It will be seen as a moment of reckoning.”
The Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation (BLMGNF) in a statement said the guilty verdict demonstrated to the world white supremacy would not “win”, but the verdict would not bring back Floyd.
“We hope this guilty verdict begins to show that white supremacy will not win. White supremacy has no place in democracy, especially one that is supposed to guarantee us our freedom to live,” the statement said.
“But let us also be clear that this still does not bring our loved ones back. We do not get George Floyd back. His daughter and family have to grow up without him. His family continues his legacy through the George Floyd Memorial Foundation.”
Civil rights activist Reverend Al Sharpton told reporters the fight for justice for Floyd may have been won, but the battle and war for equality continued.
Derek Chauvin found guilty in the death of George Floyd
“This is the first time in the history of this state that a white police officer has been convicted of a murder,” he said.
“But the war and the fight is not over. Just two days from now we’re going to Daunte Wright in this same county.”
Former US President Barack Obama in a statement said today a jury “did the right thing”, but echoed sentiments America had a long way to go for justice to be achieved for Black Americans.
“We know that true justice is much more than a single verdict in a single trial,” he said.
“While today’s verdict may have been a necessary step on the road to progress, it was far from a sufficient one. We cannot rest.”
This content first appear on 9news