Feb 24, 2022.
Three former Minneapolis police officers were found guilty of violating George Floyd's constitutional rights by failing to help him while his colleague pinned him down for nine minutes in 2020.
There is a photograph of George Floyd on display at the Say Their Names exhibit. Mario Tama poses for a picture.
According to multiple news outlets in the courtroom, jurors found J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao guilty of deprivation of Floyd's constitutional rights by failing to render medical aid.
Kueng and Thao were found guilty of failing to stop Chauvin from using unreasonable force.
In December, Chauvin pled guilty to federal charges.
During the month-long trial, prosecutors presented evidence and called witnesses to argue that the officers had been trained to stop other officers from using excessive force.
The three former officers deferred to Chauvin, the most senior officer on the scene, and prosecutors failed to prove they acted with deliberate indifference during the arrest.
The maximum penalties for civil rights violations are life in prison or death, though those sentences are rare.
There are still criminal charges against Keung, Lane and Thao in Minnesota, where they are accused of aiding and abetting second-degree murder and manslaughter. The trial is going to start in June.
Chauvin initially pled not guilty to federal charges of violating Floyd's civil rights, but changed his plea to guilty in December. Chauvin will never be allowed to work as a law enforcement officer again, will have to pay an undisclosed amount of restitution and will disclose his assets as part of the plea agreement. He is currently serving a 22.5-year prison sentence for state criminal offenses of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, which he has appealed.
Floyd had used a counterfeit $20 bill at a store and Chauvin, Keung, Lane and Thao responded to the call. A teenage bystander captured footage of the arrest, which showed Chauvin kneeling on Floyd's neck for over nine minutes, despite Floyd's pleas that he couldn't breathe. The summer of 2020 was marked by protests on police brutality and racism.
LeAnn Bell, a federal prosecutor, said during closing arguments that the right to be free from excessive force and to receive medical care is protected by the Constitution.
Three officers are being charged in George Floyd's death face first trial.
DOJ charges four ex-cops with violating George Floyd's civil rights.
The guilty man in the civil rights case was Derek Chauvin.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
