The jury accuses Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane of denying George Floyd medical care.
A jury in the United States found three former Minneapolis police officers guilty of violating. George Floyd’s human rights.
Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kuengand Thomas Lane were charged with denying Floyd medical care when police officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into the neck of a 46-year-old Black man for more than nine minutes while he was handcuffed and facedown on the street. , 2020.
Thao and Lane were also accused of not intervening to stop Chauvin.
The murder, recorded on video, sparked protests around the world as part of the showdown over racial injustice and police brutality. chauvin convicted He was found guilty of murder in state court last year and pleaded guilty in federal court in December.
Kneeling on Kueng Floyd’s back, Lane grabbed his legs and Thao held the audience back.
Kueng and Lane said they delayed Chauvin as the senior officer on the scene. Thao said Floyd relied on other officers to take care of his medical needs because his attention was elsewhere.
A conviction for a federal civil rights violation that results in death is punishable by life imprisonment or even death, but such sentences are extremely rare. Ex-officers will be free on bonds pending jail time.
During the month-long trial, prosecutors sought to demonstrate that officers violated their training, including when they did not move Floyd or give him CPR. Prosecutors argued that Floyd’s condition was so serious that even eyewitnesses without basic medical training could see that he needed help.
The defense said the officers’ training was inadequate and deferred to Chauvin as the senior officer on the scene.
Prosecutors told jurors during their closing remarks that three officers “chosen”. do nothing” As Chauvin annoyed Floyd. Defense lawyers said the officers were too inexperienced, not properly trained, and did not deliberately violate Floyd’s rights.
“I wish I had a brain, a heart, a nerve,” said a handful of protesters on Thursday morning, holding large banners, one mocking the police officers. It was adorned with images of the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion from The Wizard of Oz.
Chauvin and Thao went to the scene to help rookies Kueng and Lane, responding to a call that Floyd had used a fake $20 bill at a corner store. Floyd struggled with the cops who tried to put him in the police car.
Jurors allowed watch videos they can see the crime scene and other evidence as much as they want during the negotiations.
Lane, Kueng and Thao will also face a separate lawsuit in June for alleged aiding and abetting murder and manslaughter.
Lawyers for Floyd’s family welcomed the convictions and described the outcome of the case as “another important chapter” in the quest to get justice for the 2020 murders.
“Nothing will bring George Floyd back to his loved ones, but with these decisions, we hope that the ignorance and indifference of these officers towards human life will be erased from our country’s police departments and that no other family will experience a loss like this. this,” the lawyers said. an idiom.