Tou Thao (left) and Alexander Kueng were convicted during a brief hearing in a Saint-Paul court on July 27, 2022. HENNEPIN COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE / AP
The American judiciary on Wednesday, July 27, sentenced two police officers to jail for remaining passive during the murder of George Floyd, a tragedy that sparked monster anti-racism demonstrations in 2020.
Federal Judge Paul Magnuson, during a brief hearing in a St. Paul court, sentenced Alexander Kueng, 28, to three years and Tou Thao, 36, to three and a half years.
The two men were found guilty in February of “violating the civil rights” of the African-American man along with a third agent, Thomas Lane, 38, who was sentenced to two and a half years in prison last week.
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The three men who played supporting roles in this drama with global repercussions have been charged by federal justice with failing to provide necessary assistance to George Floyd during his agony below the knee of their colleague Derek Chauvin.
The latter, who had kept the pressure on the neck of the black forty-something for nearly ten minutes, was sentenced to twenty-one years in prison by the federal judiciary.
New recruits
The disparity between the sentences imposed on his three colleagues is due in part to their experience – Thomas Lane and Alexander Kueng were new recruits with very few stripes under their belts – and their attitude on the day of the tragedy. Unlike the other two, who didn’t intervene at all, Thomas Lane suggested putting George Floyd on his side and attempting to revive him when help arrived.
On May 25, 2020, a Minneapolis merchant called police to accuse George Floyd of selling a counterfeit $20 bill at his store.
After struggling to get this man of imposing build and erratic driving into their vehicle, they had him handcuffed to the ground. Derek Chauvin was on his knees behind his neck, the two newcomers at his side while Tou Thao kept the panicked passers-by at bay. They hadn’t moved, despite the forties panting and his unconsciousness.
The scene, which was filmed and posted online, sparked huge protests against racism and police brutality across the United States and beyond, and continues to fuel reflection on America’s racism.
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Simultaneously with the federal trial, the Minnesota judiciary sentenced Derek Chauvin to twenty-two and a half years in prison for murder and charged his three colleagues with “complicity in the murder.” Thomas Lane has pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing, which he could serve concurrently with the federal sentence. The trial of the other two is scheduled to take place in the fall.
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