Three US ex-cops convicted of rights violations in George Floyd killing

Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane were convicted of depriving Floyd of his right to medical care as the 46-year-old black man was pinned under fellow officer Derek Chauvin’s knee for 9½ minutes while handcuffed, facedown on the street on May 25, 2020. Kueng knelt on Floyd’s back; Lane held his legs and Thao kept bystanders back, according to AP.

Thao and Kueng were also convicted of failing to intervene to stop Chauvin in the videotaped killing that sparked protests in Minneapolis and around the globe as part of a reckoning over racial injustice.

Lane shook his head and looked at his lawyer as his verdict was read, according to a pool report. Thao and Kueng showed no visible emotion.

The jury that appeared to be all-white reached the verdicts after two days of deliberations. Lane is white, Kueng is black and Thao is Hmong American.

Conviction of a federal civil-rights violation that results in death is punishable by life in prison or even death, but such sentences are extremely rare. The former officers will remain free on bond pending sentencing. No sentencing date has been set.

Chauvin, who is white, was convicted of murder last year in state court and pleaded guilty in December in the federal case. He was sentenced to 22½ years in the state case. Under the plea deal in the federal case, both sides agreed Chauvin should face a sentence ranging from 20 to 25 years.

During the month-long federal trial, prosecutors sought to show that the officers violated their training, including when they failed to move Floyd or give him CPR. Prosecutors argued that Floyd’s condition was so serious that even bystanders without basic medical training could see he needed help.