3 Former Minneapolis Police Officers Found Guilty of Violating George Floyd’s Civil Rights
Former Minneapolis police officers Thomas Lane, Tou Thao, and J. Alexander Kueng were found guilty of violating George Floyd’s civil rights by a federal jury in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Thursday.
The all-white jury of eight women and four men found Lane, Kueng, and Thao guilty of depriving Floyd of his civil rights by failing to intervene or provide medical aid as former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd. Chauvin knelt on Floyd for more than 9 minutes on May 25, 2020, which ultimately led to his death, CNN reports. The jury came to their decision after roughly 13 hours of deliberations over two days.
“The jurors also found Thao and Kueng guilty of an additional charge for failing to intervene to stop Chauvin. Lane, who did not face the extra charge, testified that he asked Chauvin twice to reposition Floyd while restraining him but was denied both times,” per the outlet.
According to the Department of Justice, the violation of a person’s civil rights is deemed “punishable by a range of imprisonment up to a life term, or the death penalty, depending upon the circumstances of the crime, and the resulting injury, if any.”
All three former officers pleaded not guilty. They can face a maximum sentence of life in prison.
