The former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has been found guilty on all three counts for the death of African-American man George Floyd in a trial that is seen as pivotal to race relations in America.
The verdict was unanimous. The jury retired on Monday and delivered its verdict on Tuesday afternoon.
Sentencing will be in eight weeks. Bail for the convict has been revoked.
Derek Chauvin was charged with two counts of murder and one count of manslaughter over the death of George Floyd in May last year in Minneapolis.
The image of former officer Chauvin with his knee on the neck of George Floyd for 9 minutes and 29 seconds has been seen around the world as has become a reference point for race relations, especially between African-Americans and police in the United States.
Mr Floyd’s plea of ‘I can’t breathe’ has also been co-opted as a slogan by campaigners for racial justice.
The killing in George Floyd caused an explosion of protests across the United States with solidarity protests elsewhere in the world under the banner of Black Lives Matter.
On Tuesday, just hours before the verdict in a move which underlined the gravity of the situation, US President Joe Biden said he was praying for the "right verdict".
There were concerns about further protests in advance of the verdict if Derek Chauvin was found not guilty.
On the contrary on the announcement of the unanimous guilty verdict, crowds outside the courthouse erupted in cheers and prayers.
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