Officers charged in George Floyd’s death found guilty [Video]

• The jury has found three former Minneapolis police officers guilty of deprivation of rights under color of law in George Floyd’s case.
• Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng, and Thomas Lane were each charged for depriving Floyd’s right to medical care.
• The officers still face a separate trial on charges of aiding and abetting Floyd’s murder on June 13.

The jury has found former Minneapolis police officers Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng, and Thomas Lane, guilty of depriving George Floyd of his right to medical care.

Floyd is a Black man who died after a white Minneapolis officer, Derek Chauvin, pinned him down for nearly 10 minutes.

Kueng and Thao were also charged for failing to intervene when Chauvin used excessive force.

All three officers could face up to life imprisonment. In the meantime, they are allowed to remain free on bond while waiting for a sentencing date.

Attorney General Merrick Garland declared, “The Justice Department will continue to seek accountability for law enforcement officers whose actions, or failure to act, violate their constitutional duty to protect the civil rights of our citizens. George Floyd should be alive today.”

During the deadly arrest, Lane and Kueng restrained Floyd’s legs and torso while Thao focused on crowd control. Chauvin pinned his knee on Floyd’s neck for nine and a half minutes, killing him.

Floyd’s death sparked protests against criminal justice and police brutality across the country and other nations.

Citing bystander footage, prosecutors argued that by doing nothing to stop what was happening, they “directly contributed to [Floyd’s] death and failed to intervene to stop the senseless murder.”

During their testimony, the officers justified their actions by saying that Floyd displayed unusual strength and was “out of control” during the arrest.

Thao claimed that he was focused on crowd control and could not see what was happening, but he admitted to having heard Floyd say “I can’t breathe.” He added that he thought Floyd did not go into cardiac arrest since the other officers did not try to perform CPR.

The officers also claimed that they deferred to their superior officer, Chauvin. Kueng and Lane added that they were rookies in danger of termination, and were instructed by their trainers to follow orders.

A separate trial on charges of aiding and abetting Floyd’s murder is set on June 13.

The decision was applauded by civil rights activists.

Rev. Al Sharpton called the convictions “a huge victory for civil rights and police reform” that would send a clear message against “police criminality.”

Source: The Hill