The American justice sentenced two police officers to prison on Wednesday for remaining passive during the murder of George Floyd, a tragedy that had sparked monstrous demonstrations against racism in 2020.
Federal Judge Paul Magnuson handed down sentences of three years in prison for Alexander Kueng, 28, and three and a half years for Tou Thao, 36, during a brief hearing in a St. Paul court.
The two men were found guilty in February of “violating the civil rights” of the African-American along with a third officer, Thomas Lane, who was sentenced last week to two and a half years in prison.
Sentenced for non-intervention
With secondary roles in this drama of global repercussion, the three men were accused by federal justice of not having provided the necessary assistance to George Floyd during his agony under the knee of his colleague Derek Chauvin. The latter, who had sustained pressure on the forty-year-old black’s neck for almost ten minutes, was sentenced to 21 years in prison by federal justice.
The differences between the sentences imposed on his three companions are due in part to their experience -Thomas Lane and Alexander Kueng were new recruits with very few patrols behind them- and their attitude on the day of the tragedy.
Unlike the other two who did not intervene at all, Thomas Lane suggested laying George Floyd on his side and tried to revive him when help arrived.
Big demonstrations against racism
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 stature and erratic driving into his vehicle, they had him pinned to the ground, handcuffed. Derek Chauvin had settled into his neck, the two new ones at his side, while Tou Thao kept terrified bystanders at a distance.
They hadn’t moved, despite the forty-year-old’s gasps and loss of consciousness.
The scene, 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 racist past.
Parallel to the federal prosecution, the Minnesota state court sentenced Derek Chauvin to 22 and a half years in prison for murder, and charged his three colleagues with “complicity in murder.” Thomas Lane has pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing, which could run concurrently with the federal sentence. The trial of the other two will take place in the fall.
Source: BFM TV
