The three guilty verdicts handed down Tuesday in the trial of Derek Chauvin were greeted with calls for unity and continued work for change.

Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer, was convicted of murdering George Floyd in 2020. Cellphone footage of Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck for several minutes sparked nationwide protests, including several marches in Bowling Green.

In response to the verdict handed down Tuesday in a Minnesota courtroom, numerous local leaders shared their thoughts.

Bowling Green-Warren County NAACP President Ryan Dearbone issued the following statement:

“While we are glad to see the verdict come down as it did, there is still so much more work to be done. George Floyd is just one of many Black men and women who have fallen victim to crimes like this just over the past year. But we are glad to see Derek Chauvin found guilty of all charges.”

Shortly after Floyd’s death last year, Warren County Sheriff Brett Hightower posted on social media that he believed Chauvin betrayed his oath of office and denied Floyd due process.

Speaking Wednesday after the verdict, Hightower said “justice prevailed” at the trial.

“This isn’t the first time a law enforcement officer has been charged with a crime, but in recent years there’s more social media, there’s body cam footage and cameras on phones, and all those things collectively are able to paint a picture of what transpired,” Hightower said. “A lot of people had eyes on this and I think, with this particular incident, it magnified that a lot of people, due to the overwhelming evidence in the video that was captured, were interested in seeing justice prevail in this particular case.”

The sheriff said other law enforcement officials he spoke with who watched the video of the incident anticipated Chauvin would be convicted of some crime and that the trial was an example of the legal system working the way it should.

“Hopefully it’s a message to the community that we have to let the court system play out,” Hightower said.

Karika Nelson is the founder of the BG Freedom Walkers organization dedicated to work on racial justice.

“Convicting Derek Chauvin on all three counts was the right thing to do. Finally, the United States is beginning to hold police officers accountable for murdering Black Americans,” she said.

Bowling Green Independent School District Superintendent Gary Fields said: “Justice was served, but sadly it doesn’t bring back George Floyd for his family and friends. As we continue to see with this tragedy and other injustices, we have so much more work to do in support of Black men, women and children in our community and our country.”

Warren County Public Schools Superintendent Rob Clayton said: “It is my hope that all of our communities can come together on behalf of one another. We need each other to make a positive difference.”

– Daily News reporters Aaron Mudd, John Reecer and Justin Story contributed to this report.

– Follow Managing Editor Wes Swietek on Twitter @WesSwietek or visit bgdaily news.com.