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BATON ROUGE —  Gov. John Bel Edwards issued the following statement about the guilty verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial.

Gov. Edwards said:

“Today, I am thankful that the criminal justice system dispensed justice to George Floyd’s family and to society.

While today’s verdict will not bring George Floyd back, nor will it erase years of damaging racism and violence, it is a positive step forward that Derek Chauvin was held fully accountable for Floyd’s death.

All people, regardless of the color of their skin, deserve to be treated fairly, equally and with dignity by members of law enforcement. Officers should never resort to excessive force when they are dealing with the public. For that reason, we should all be encouraged that so many career law enforcement officials testified to the criminality of Chauvin’s actions.

I join many Americans and Louisianans in grieving alongside the Floyd family, and I pray this verdict will give them some measure of peace. I also pray that all people in our state and our nation will stand together, learn from one another, reject violence, and embrace neighborly love.”