One of George Floyd's brothers, Philonise Floyd, says the 22 and a half sentence given former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin amounted to a "slap on the wrist." However, he added people should appreciate the man charged with murdering his brother got "some time."
In an interview with MSNBC's Joy Reid, Philonise Floyd, who was joined by civil rights attorney Ben Crump, expressed gratitude for the sentence against Chauvin, though he said the judge should have granted the prosecutors' request for a 30-year sentence.
"My brother, he's dead, I will never get to see him again," he said. "We will always have empty seats at the house that he should be sitting in. That was our loved one, we cherished him. No matter how anybody else felt about him, we loved him."
The Floyd family and their supporters welcomed the sentence.
"This historic sentence brings the Floyd family and our nation one step closer to healing by delivering closure and accountability," lawyer Ben Crump tweeted.
Floyd's sister Bridgett Floyd said the sentence "shows that matters of police brutality are finally being taken seriously" but there was still "a long way to go."
The murder of Floyd sparked the biggest outcry against racial injustice in the U.S. in decades.
Chauvin spoke briefly before the sentence was imposed Friday, offering his "condolences to the Floyd family."
Under Minnesota law, Chauvin will serve two-thirds of his sentence, or 15 years - for him to be eligible for mandatory parole for the remaining seven and a half years.
Prosecutors wanted the former police officer to serve 30 years in prison, while his attorney asked for just probation.
In a 22-page document, Judge Peter Cahill wrote two aggravating factors warranted a harsher sentence - that Chauvin "abused his position of trust or authority" and treated Floyd with "particular cruelty," reports say.
According to Cahill, Chauvin treated Floyd "without respect" and "denied him the dignity owed to all human beings," Reuters said.
"What the sentence is not based on is emotion or sympathy," Cahill said in quotes carried by USA Today.
"I want to acknowledge the deep and tremendous pain that all the families are feeling, especially the Floyd family," Cahill said in court.
A jury April 20 found the 45-year old Chauvin guilty of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter after a trial that was widely viewed as a landmark in the history of American policing.
Chauvin's sentence was one of the longest ever received by a former police officer for applying deadly force in the U.S., Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, whose office prosecuted the case, said.
Outside the courthouse, the reaction from a crowd of around 50 people was subdued as they debated whether the sentence was long enough.
Many said the sentence was "not justice." Some cursed in disgust.
"Twenty-two-and-a-half is not enough," Brandon Williams, George Floyd's nephew, said during a news conference after the hearing.
U.S. President Joe Biden, when told about the length of Chauvin's sentence, said, "I don't know all of the circumstances that are considered, but it seems to me under the guidelines, that seems to be appropriate," CNBC said.
Chauvin's mother told the judge she would always believe her son was innocent.
Court officers immediately led Chauvin back to prison.
He showed little emotion when the judge pronounced the sentence.
