Two former Minneapolis police officers were jailed Wednesday for their role in the May 2020 killing of George Floyd, a black man whose death sparked protests against racial injustice across the United States.
US District Judge Paul Magnuson sentenced 28-year-old J. Alexander Kueng to three years in prison and 36-year-old Tou Thao to three and a half years in prison.
Kueng and Thao were convicted in February of violating Floyd’s civil rights, showing “willful indifference” to his medical needs and failing to intervene to stop the use of “unreasonable force” by another officer, Derek Chauvin.
Kueng, Thao and Chauvin were among four police officers involved in Floyd’s arrest for allegedly using a counterfeit $20 bill to purchase a pack of cigarettes.
Chauvin, a 19-year veteran of the force, was videotaped by a bystander kneeling on the neck of a handcuffed Floyd for nearly 10 minutes until he passed out and died.
He was found guilty of murder and is serving more than 20 years in prison.
The fourth officer, Thomas Lane, was also sentenced in February to two and a half years in prison for violating Floyd’s civil rights.
Lane’s lawyers had asked for a lighter sentence for him for suggesting putting Floyd on his side and trying to revive him.
“All four officers involved in the tragic death of George Floyd have now been convicted in federal court, sentenced to prison terms and held accountable for their crimes,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke said in a statement.
“The federal attorney’s office of all officials connected to the death of George Floyd should send a clear and strong message that the Justice Department will never tolerate the unlawful abuse of power or victimization of Americans by anyone in law enforcement,” Clarke said.
Kueng and Lane helped hold Floyd down while Thao kept away passers-by, who asked officers to get off Floyd as he lay face down on the floor and complained he couldn’t breathe.
Lane was new to the job when he and his rookie cop, Kueng Floyd, arrested him after a shopkeeper accused him of using a fake bill at his store.
As they struggled to get Floyd into their vehicle, the two were joined by two experienced officers, Chauvin and Thao.
Lane pleaded guilty in May to separating the state charges of second-degree assisted manslaughter.
Kueng and Thao are due to appear in court on involuntary manslaughter charges at the end of October.
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