George Floyd was murdered. Derek Chauvin is guilty. Black …

Crowds outside of Hennepin Government Center react after Derek Chauvin was found guilty on all counts in the murder of George Floyd last May. USA TODAY

National columnist Suzette Hackney is in Minneapolis for the trial of Derek Chauvin, reporting on the people, the scene and the mood.

MINNEAPOLIS Nearly one year to the day from when George Perry Floyd was killed about 3 miles from here, a Hennepin County jury found the man who used his knee to press the life out of him guilty of all charges, including second-degree murder.

The last words Floyd uttered in his 17,026 days of life were"I can't breathe."

As the verdict was read, I had that same feeling as I stood here, among hundreds of Floyd family supporters and other journalists.

But for an entirely different reason.

Throughout the 14 days of testimony the 44 witnesses, mostly for the prosecutionthe steady loop of video footage showing Floyd'straumatic death from every possible angle reinforced this inescapable fact:Chauvin's utter indifference and lack of compassion as a man lay dying under his knee. We can see and hear the desperation in those who triedto save Floyd's lifebut were rendered powerless.

Editorial: Derek Chauvin was convicted, but the public still hasn't won

Courteney Batya Ross, George Floyd's girlfriend in red, center, outside the Hennepin County Courthouse in Minneapolis, Minn. on April 20, 2021 as they wait for the jury's verdict in the trial of former Officer Derek Chauvin.(Photo: Jarrad Henderson, USA TODAY)

I gathered with angry, hopeful, scared Minnesotans outside the Hennepin County Government Center. I was here to do my job, but it felt like my chest was going to explode. I feel this pain, this frustration, too. See, Im Black. I have young nephews, and I pray for their safety nightly. I see how quickly a traffic stop can go left, how quickly a Black man can be killed.

This case is so important. It has galvanized a movement. It has opened eyes and hearts. Blacklives domatter. Black lives shouldmatter. This is history for America. And this community is literally begging for justice.

Outside the courthouse, the reaction matched the gravity of the moment: People everywhere were sobbing. Embracing. (And masked.) The crowd chanted, "All three counts," a nod to the fact that Chauvin was convicted of all charges against him.

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During closing arguments Monday, prosecutorSteve Schleicher rightly and methodically humanized Floyd. He talked about his family and childhood. He reminded jurors and all of us watching:Floyd was a human being. He was a 46-year-old man. And but for Chauvin's assault on him, he would likely be alive today.

The verdict doesn't bring him back, of course. But it's a big step in the healing process. And hopefully an even bigger step toward saving the next George Floyd.

National columnist Suzette Hackney, a member of USA TODAYS Editorial Board, has been in Minneapolis for three weeks for the trial of Derek Chauvin, reporting on the people, the scene and the mood.Contact her at shackney@usatoday.com or on Twitter: @suzyscribe

Read the rest of her coverage from Minneapolis:

44 witnesses, 14 days of testimony: Now we wait for a verdict, with so much at stake

Daunte Wright killed: Despair is real as police 'mistakes' persist

Mostly empty chair: Courtroom seat for Derek Chauvin supporter sits unused

Floyd as inspiration: Former gang members help neighborhood

Still haunting after 7 years: Chauvin trial brings fresh pain to Eric Garners mother

George Floyd Square: 'Injustice closed these streets; only justice should open them'

What is justice?A weary city that wears George Floyd's face waits for an answer

Police stand guard outside the Hennepin County Government Center as people await the verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial on April 20, 2021 In Minneapolis.(Photo: Scott Olson, Getty Images)

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George Floyd was murdered. Derek Chauvin is guilty. Black ...