Jury convicts 3 ex-Minneapolis officers of violating George Floyd’s civil rights

A federal jury has convicted the three former Minneapolis police officers charged with violating George Floyd’s civil rights. The jury reached a verdict late Thursday afternoon, after less than 13 hours of deliberation.

There was no Count 1 in this case, as that was Derek Chauvin’s charge, which he pleaded guilty to in December.

The jury has found J. Alexander Kueng, guilty on Count 2 of Willfully failing to intervene to stop Chauvin’s use of unreasonable force. Kueng was also found guilty of Count 3, seeing Floyd on the ground in clear need of medical care, willfully failed to aid Floyd, thereby acting with deliberate indifference to a substantial risk of harm to Floyd.

Thomas Lane was found guilty of Count 3, seeing Floyd on the ground in clear need of medical care, willfully failed to aid Floyd, thereby acting with deliberate indifference to a substantial risk of harm to Floyd.

The jury has found Tou Thao, guilty on Count 2 of Willfully failing to intervene to stop Chauvin’s use of unreasonable force. Kueng was also found guilty of Count 3, seeing Floyd on the ground in clear need of medical care, willfully failed to aid Floyd, thereby acting with deliberate indifference to a substantial risk of harm to Floyd.

Judge Paul Magnuson continued the former officers’ current bond terms and ordered a probationary meeting next week to start a pre-sentence investigation.

Word came in that jurors reached a verdict just before 4 p.m. in the federal trial of three former Minneapolis police officers charged with violating George Floyd’s civil rights.

J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao are charged with depriving Floyd of his right to medical care when former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck for 9 1/2 minutes on May 25, 2020, as Floyd pleaded for air.

Kueng and Thao are also charged with failing to intervene to stop Chauvin.

The jury received the case Wednesday and began deliberating after a month-long trial.

During the trial, prosecutors sought to show that the officers violated their training, including when they failed to roll Floyd onto his side or give him CPR.

The defense said that the officers were too inexperienced, weren’t trained properly and didn’t willfully violate Floyd’s rights.

In December, Chauvin pleaded guilty to federal charges that included two counts stating he deprived Floyd of his rights by kneeling on his neck as he was handcuffed and not resisting, and then failing to provide medical care.