MINNEAPOLIS — Three former Minneapolis police officers who were at the scene of George Floyd’s killing were convicted Thursday of violating his civil rights.
Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane were convicted in a federal court of depriving Floyd of his right to medical care when Officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck for 9 1/2 minutes on a Minneapolis street on May 25, 2020, The Associated Press reported.
Thao and Lane were also charged with failing to intervene to stop Chauvin.
A four-man, eight-woman jury reached the verdict after 13 hours of deliberations in the federal trial, the Star-Tribune of Minneapolis reported.
BREAKING: Three ex-Minneapolis police officers guilty on all civil rights charges related to George Floyd’s death https://t.co/Vq379GzLFJ
— Star Tribune (@StarTribune) February 24, 2022
The jury was asked whether Floyd’s restraint led to his death, and they answered in the affirmative, the Star-Tribune reported. That allows the judge to hand down longer sentences if he chooses.
Jurors began deliberations Wednesday after hearing about four weeks of testimony in the trial of Thao, Kueng and Lane. The three were facing charges of deprivation of rights under color of law. The law forbids officials from “willfully depriving a person of a right or privilege protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States” while acting in an official government capacity.
Thao, Kueng and Lane were accused of willfully ignoring Floyd’s medical needs during an arrest, “acting with deliberate indifference to a substantial risk of harm to Floyd,” according to the indictment. Chauvin, who was previously convicted of murdering Floyd, also faces federal charges.
The three former officers will remain free on bond pending sentencing, the AP reported.
Prosecutor Manda Sertich said in closing arguments Tuesday that the officers knew that Floyd needed help as Chauvin held him down with a knee to his neck for several minutes on May 25, 2020, but that they “chose to do nothing,” The Associated Press reported. Thao watched bystanders and traffic as the other officers held down Floyd. Kueng knelt on Floyd’s back and Lane held his legs.
Lane’s attorney, Earl Gray, argued that his client was indicted because of politics, emphasizing that a medical examiner testified that he played no role in the positional asphyxia that caused Floyd’s death, KARE reported. Lane was only on his fourth day on the job when he and Kueng responded to a report of someone passing a counterfeit $20 at a convenience store in Minneapolis, according to the news station.
>> Related: Ex-officers accused of violating George Floyd’s rights plead not guilty
Kueng’s attorney, Thomas Plunkett, told jurors that officers hadn’t been adequately trained on their duty to intervene, KMOV and the Star Tribune. He said his client relied on Chauvin’s experience, as the police force veteran had been Kueng’s training officer, according to the newspaper.
Robert Paule, Thao’s attorney, said his client was doing what he thought was right on May 25, 2020 – holding Floyd until paramedics arrived, KMOV reported. He noted that Thao increased the urgency of an ambulance call for Floyd, something he said was clearly “not for a bad purpose.” He also said that Thao reasonably believed Floyd was on drugs and needed to be restrained until medical assistance arrived.
Video footage captured by a teenage bystander showed the May 25, 2020, detainment of Floyd, who was suspected of passing a counterfeit $20 bill, outside a convenience store in Minneapolis. In the video, then-Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin could be seen holding his knee to Floyd’s neck and back for more than nine minutes as the 46-year-old struggled to breathe and called for his mother. Kueng and Lane helped to restrain Floyd, while Thao held back bystanders and kept them from intervening, according to evidence presented in state court.
Floyd was pronounced dead after the incident. Last year, a Minnesota jury convicted Chauvin of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for Floyd’s death. Chauvin was subsequently sentenced to 22.5 years in prison.
Video of Floyd’s death went viral after being posted on social media in May 2020, sparking global outrage and a national reckoning over racism and police brutality that spawned protests across the country.
Thao, Lane and Kueng have also been charged in state court with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter. They face a second trial in Floyd’s death on June 13 in Hennepin County District Court, the Star-Tribune reported.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Check back for more on this developing story.
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