All 4 Ex-Minneapolis Cops Have Been Sentenced In George Floyd's Death

ST. PAUL, MN — All four former Minneapolis police officers were who involved in the killing of George Floyd on Memorial Day 2020 have been sentenced to federal prison.

On Wednesday, Tou Thao, 36, was sentenced to serve 42 months — or 3 and 1/2 years — of prison time for his role in Floyd's death. Just hours earlier, his former colleague — Alexander Kueng, 28 — was sentenced to serve 36 months.

In February, following a nearly five-week trial, a St. Paul jury found both Kueng and Thao guilty of depriving Floyd of his constitutional right to be free from an officer’s unreasonable force when each failed to intervene while former officer Derek Chauvin kept his knee on Floyd's neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds.

The jury also found that Thao and Kueng deprived Floyd of medical care. Both offenses led to Floyd's death, the jury found.

The same jury also found former officer Thomas Lane guilty of depriving Floyd of medical care. Lane was sentenced to 30 months in prison last week for that offense.

Chauvin was also charged in federal court, but he pleaded guilty in December and did not have to stand trial. He was sentenced to 21 years in prison earlier this month. That sentence will run concurrently with the more than 22 years he was sentenced for his 2021 state murder conviction in Floyd's death.

"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," said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division in a statement.

"Former officers Thao and Kueng each had an individual duty and opportunity to intervene in the excessive force that resulted in the agonizing death of Mr. Floyd, but both men failed to take any action," said U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger. "These sentences reaffirm that every law enforcement officer, whether rookie or senior, has an affirmative duty to protect individuals in their custody."

State trial looms

Thao and Kueng face still face charges in state court of aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter in Floyd's death.

Lane pleaded guilty to the same state charges in May.

The state trial — which will be the final criminal trial over Floyd's death — is scheduled for January in Minneapolis.

What Has Changed Since Floyd's Death?

More than two years ago, on May 25, 2020, Floyd died while gasping for air under the knee of Chauvin.

Floyd's death, seen by millions around the globe thanks to a bystander's viral video from the scene, ignited a movement for police reform and racial justice.

But street violence and vandalism also plagued Minneapolis in the days after Floyd's death.

More than 10,000 public safety officials contributed to the effort to restore peace and safety, including the first full mobilization of the Minnesota National Guard since World War II. However, nearly 1,500 Twin Cities businesses were damaged by vandalism, thefts, and fire.

Estimates of the damage in Minneapolis and St. Paul caused by riots exceeded half a billion dollars.

Two years later, Minnesotans remain divided on how to respond to Floyd's death and what changes need to be made in policing.

Read more: What Has, And Has Not, Changed In MN Since George Floyd's Death