The federal civil rights trial for three former Minneapolis police officers connected to the death of George Floyd was paused Wednesday after one defendant tested positive for COVID-19.
Judge Paul Magnuson said the trial would be suspended until 9:30 a.m. Monday. Magnuson did not say which of the three defendants, J. Alexander Kueng, Tou Thao, or Thomas Lane, tested positive, but Lane was not in court Wednesday morning, WCCO reported.
The men are accused of violating Floyd’s civil rights on May 25, 2020, when they failed to stop ex-officer Derek Chauvin from kneeling on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes while he begged for his life.
Specifically, Kueng, Lane, and Thao were charged with failing to render medical aid to Floyd. Kueng and Thao were also charged with violating Floyd’s right to be free from unreasonable seizure by not stepping in and stopping Chauvin.
FEDERAL TRIAL OF THREE OFFICERS ACCUSED IN GEORGE FLOYD’S DEATH BEGINS
All three officers have pleaded not guilty.
The case had been moving along swiftly until Wednesday. The jury was selected in one day, versus the nearly two weeks it took to seat Chauvin’s jury in his trial.
Chauvin was convicted in April on state murder and manslaughter charges. He was sentenced to 22 1/2 years behind bars. He pleaded guilty in December to separate federal charges and is awaiting sentencing in that case.
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Kueng, Lane, and Thao had been scheduled to go to trial on state charges in August, but a judge delayed their trial so the federal case against them could go first.
