Former Minneapolis Police Officer Thomas Lane was sentenced to two and a half years in prison Thursday for violating George Floyd’s civil rights during the summer of 2020.
Lane, who was one of three former police officers found guilty in February for violating Floyd’s rights, had failed to provide the necessary medical aid that could have saved Floyd’s life, the jury determined. Former officers J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao were also found guilty of the same charge, according to the Department of Justice.
MAN FOUND GUILTY OF MURDER IN KILLING OF RETIRED ST. LOUIS POLICE CAPT. DAVID DORN
Keung and Thao failed to free Floyd from “an officer’s unreasonable force,” while former police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck for nine minutes thus violating another one of Floyd’s rights, according to the DOJ.
Prosecutors requested that Lane serve a sentence ranging from 5.25 to 6.5 years, but Lane’s defense attorney requested 27 months.
U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson settled on two and a half years, because of Lane’s “minimal role” in the death of Floyd, and called Lane a person of “outstanding character.” Lane will also be placed on supervised release for two years after serving his prison term, and he will be required to pay “mandatory” restitution, the amount of which has not been set, according to CNN.
The prosecutor’s office recommended Lane serve three years for the manslaughter charge, which he would serve concurrently with his federal sentence. His sentence is expected to be set Sept. 21.
Lane additionally pleaded guilty to a state charge of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter in May. According to video footage, Lane held Floyd’s legs down during the arrest while Kueng was on his back.
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Videos of Floyd’s death triggered a wave of protests against police brutality and racism, which began in the summer of 2020, including calls to “defund the police.”
Chauvin, who received the highest sentence for the incident, was sentenced to over 22 years in prison on murder and manslaughter charges last year. He additionally pleaded guilty to the civil right charges and was sentenced to 21 years in prison, which he will serve concurrently with his murder sentence.
