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Ex-cops sentenced over George Floyd murder

July 28, 2022

Two former police officers have been sentenced to prison for showing "deliberate indifference" when George Floyd died during an arrest in 2020.

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Pixellated mugshots of former police officers Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng.
Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng will each serve prison time for their role in the murder of George FloydImage: Hennepin County Jail/AFP

Two former Minneapolis police officers were sentenced to prison on Wednesday for their role in the 2020 murder of George Floyd — an incident which sparked a resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States.

Alexander Kueng, 28, and Tou Thao, 36, were previously convicted by a federal judge of violating Floyd's civil rights by showing "deliberate indifference" to his medical needs and failing to intervene to stop the use of "unreasonable force" by another officer, Derek Chauvin, who was sentenced to 22 years in prison for murder. 

Kueng helped restrain Floyd while Thao held back bystanders who were pleading with the officers to get off of Floyd as he lay face down on the ground, saying "I can't breathe."

A fourth officer, Thomas Lane, was also sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison back in May for violating Floyd's civil rights.

"All four officers involved in the tragic death of George Floyd have now been convicted in federal court, sentenced to prison and held accountable for their crimes," Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke said in a statement.

Floyd's girlfriend calls for tougher sentencing

Federal prosecutor Manda Sertich argued that Kueng "didn't say a word'' as Floyd lay dying. Meanwhile, fellow federal prosecutor LeeAnn Bell said Thao had "a bird's-eye view of what was going on," adding that he should have known better owing to his "years on the force."

However, during his ruling, US District Judge Paul Magnuson said Keung was "truly a rookie officer" and noted that Thao "had a difficult childhood and have done well to become a good police officer, father and husband."

Floyd's girlfriend at the time of his death, Courteney Ross, afterwards said the sentences "didn't really seem to match the crime to me." She argued for the maximum penalty.

"I am saddened, but I suppose we have to take all of these small triumphs and know that we are going to move forward," Ross added.

Keung and Thao face a state court trial in October on counts of aiding and abetting second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, unless they accept a plea deal in the meantime.

zc/sri (AP, Reuters, AFP)