January 1, George Floyd: 3 Former Officers Convicted

A jury convicted three former Minneapolis Police Department officers on federal civil rights charges stemming from George Floyd’s murder.

After deliberating for two days, the jury found Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng, and Thomas Lane guilty on all charges, agreeing that their actions resulted in Floyd’s death.

The three former officers were at the scene and did not intervene as Derek Chauvin kneeled on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes on May 25, 2020, killing him.

A federal indictment alleged that the former officers “willfully failed to aid” Floyd during and after Chauvin kneeled on his neck.

The prosecutors argued the officers violated Floyd’s right to due process and to be free from “deliberate indifference to his serious medical needs” while in police custody.

During the monthlong trial, prosecutors argued that the defendants defied their training and common sense by standing idly by as Floyd pleaded for help, clearly in medical distress.

Attorneys for the former officers contended their clients deferred to Chauvin as the senior officer at the scene and were dealing with a chaotic situation, with the crowd and Floyd’s refusal to enter a squad car.

A separate trial on criminal charges brought against the three former officers has been scheduled for June.

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3 ex-cops convicted of rights violations in Floyd killing