J. Alexander Kueng, one of the four police officers arrested after George Floyd’s death, has been released from jail.
Kueng, 26, left jail Friday evening after meeting his bail, which was set at $750,000. He was one of three Minneapolis law enforcement officers charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for his involvement in Floyd’s arrest and subsequent death in police custody. Kueng’s defense attorneys said he was working only on his third shift as a full-time officer, according to the Star Tribune.
Earlier this month, another officer who was charged with aiding and abetting murder, 37-year-old Thomas Lane, was released from jail after posting bail. Lane was able to post the $750,000 bail through donations, the New York Post reported.
The arrests of the four officers occurred after a video was released that showed Floyd, an unarmed black man, being pinned to the ground on Memorial Day by police officer Derek Chauvin for nearly nine minutes while pleading for his life. The officers had been responding to a call about Floyd allegedly using a forged $20 bill. Floyd later died, and Chauvin was charged with second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
The third officer arrested in Floyd’s death, Tou Thao, is still being held in jail on $750,000 bail. Thao was seen in a video of the incident keeping concerned onlookers away as Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck. Chauvin is also still in jail, and his bail has been set at $1.25 million.
