George Floyd's family has reacted to Derek Chauvin's recent sentencing.
According to People, Floyd's cousin Brandon Williams told media in a post-sentencing press conference that the victim's family members "got justice, but not enough justice."
Williams continued: "22 years is not enough. Gianna can't hug George again. We can't get George back. So in retrospect, I think [Chauvin] should have received a life sentence as well.
"I won't celebrate this. I won't celebrate it at all. But I will celebrate a guilty conviction of a police officer that killed a Black man. This 22 and a half years just doesn't work for me."
Meanwhile, Floyd's brother Rodney stated:
"It's a slap on the wrist. We're serving a life sentence by not having [George] in our life.
"For Gianna, that will mean no time ahead with her dad, no shared conversations between father and daughter; those wonderful phone calls lighting up her face."
The 45-year-old former Minneapolis police officer was sentenced on Friday, June 25 by Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill to 22 and a half years in prison for murdering Floyd back in May of 2020.
Sky News reports that the maximum sentence for second-degree unintentional murder is 40 years in prison under Minnesota law.
However, Chauvin's lack of previous convictions meant that his term ended up being comparatively lighter than most.
Chauvin was found guilty back in April by a jury of three counts of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter for his part in the death of George Floyd.
On May 25, 2020, Chauvin and three other police officers were summoned to a grocery store in Powderhorn Park in Minneapolis and arrested Floyd after the proprietor accused the ex-security guard of using a counterfeit banknote to pay for his purchases.
Floyd was then handcuffed lying face down in the street, while Chauvin pressed his knee on the back of his neck for a total of nine minutes - fatally asphyxiating him.
Cell phone footage recorded by teenage bystander Darnella Frazier showed that Floyd repeatedly asked for help and pled for leniency from ground level, even stating audibly "I can't breathe" more than 20 times.
When this incriminating video emerged online, Floyd's death sparked a wave of protests across America and the rest of the world over the issues of police brutality and racial profiling.