02/25/2022

Former Minneapolis Officers Found Guilty of Violating George Floyd’s Civil Rights

The case is to expected to impact how officers intervene with rogue colleagues

Three former Minneapolis police officers who were at the scene with Derek Chauvin as he pressed his knee into George Floyd’s neck were convicted Thursday of violating Floyd’s civil rights in a case that is likely to increase scrutiny over how officers are trained to intervene with rogue colleagues.

Prosecutors had argued that former officers J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas K. Lane and Tou Thao knew Floyd was in medical danger beneath Chauvin’s knee but put their “discomfort in questioning a colleague” above their sworn duty to save a life.

After a month-long trial that cast a harsh light on police training and practices in Minneapolis, a jury found Kueng, Lane and Thao guilty of violating Floyd’s civil rights by failing to provide him medical aid. Kueng and Thao were also found guilty of failing to intervene with Chauvin. The jury found that the actions of all three men caused Floyd’s death.

Please select this link to read the complete article from The Washington Post.