Topline
Former Minneapolis police officer Thomas Lane on Wednesday pleaded guilty to a charge of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter in the death of George Floyd, according to Minnesota’s Office of the Attorney General, agreeing to serve three years in federal prison.
Former Minneapolis Police officer Thomas Lane leaves with his attorney Earl Gray after a hearing.
Key Facts
The guilty plea comes three months after Lane and two other former Minneapolis police officers, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao were found guilty of violating the civil rights of Floyd, a Black man who was killed in May 2020 when their colleague Derek Chauvin pinned him to the ground with his knee on his neck, sparking nationwide racial justice protests.
Lane helped restrain Floyd—who told officers multiple times he could not breathe—by holding down his legs.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said Wednesday he was “pleased” Lane had accepted responsibility, calling the plea “a significant moment in this case” and a “necessary resolution on our continued journey to justice.”
As a part of his plea deal, Lane will have a count of aiding and abetting second-degree unintentional murder dismissed, the Associated Press reported.
He will serve the three-year sentence concurrently with a federal sentence authorities have not yet announced.
Key Background
Lane, Thao and Kueng last month pleaded not guilty to state charges of aiding and abetting murder and aiding and abetting manslaughter and rejected a plea deal, prosecutors said at the time. The three were found guilty by a federal jury in February of depriving Floyd of his constitutional rights by “wilfully” failing to stop Chauvin from using unnecessary force that resulted in Floyd’s death. Footage of the incident shows Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes, ignoring Floyd’s repeated plea, “I can’t breathe.” All four officers were fired a day after Floyd’s death. Chauvin pleaded guilty last year to a federal charge of violating Floyd’s civil rights, for which he could face a federal sentence of 20 to 25 year in prison. He was also sentenced to 22 years and six months in prison for state chargers of murder and manslaughter. Floyd’s killing sparked nationwide protests on police brutality and racism throughout the summer of 2020.
What To Watch For
Trials for Kueng and Thao begin June 13, according to Ellison’s office. The two were also charged with second-degree unintentional murder and second-degree manslaughter in the death of George Floyd.
Further Reading
Ex-cop pleads guilty to manslaughter in George Floyd’s death (Associated Press)
Jury Finds 3 Ex-Minneapolis Police Officers Guilty Of Violating George Floyd’s Civil Rights (Forbes)
3 former police officers charged in George Floyd’s death reject plea deal (CNN)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/madelinehalpert/2022/05/18/former-minneapolis-police-officer-pleads-guilty-to-manslaughter-in-killing-of-george-floyd/