Former Minneapolis police officers charged with violating rights of George Floyd

Image Credit: Andres Guzman (IG: @andresitoguzman)

The Justice Department announced
Friday that a federal grand jury has returned indictments against the four
former Minneapolis police officers responsible for causing the death of George
Floyd. In an attempt to establish a pattern of violent behavior, the
prosecution charged Derek Chauvin with deprivation of rights in a separate
incident after he allegedly hit a teenager in the head with a flashlight and
knelt on the back of the handcuffed teen’s neck.

On May 25, 2020, Officers Tou Thao,
Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng, and Derek Chauvin were recorded on video
arresting George Floyd for allegedly using a counterfeit $20 bill. Despite the
fact that Floyd’s hands were cuffed behind his back, Chauvin knelt against the
back of his neck for nine minutes as several bystanders begged the officers not
to kill Floyd.

Last month, Chauvin was found
guilty on state charges of second degree murder, third degree murder, and
second degree manslaughter in the death of George Floyd. Thou, Lane, and Kueng
currently face state charges of aiding and abetting both second degree murder
and manslaughter in addition to the federal charges.

On Friday, the federal indictments
against the four former officers were unsealed. All four defendants were
charged with deprivation
of rights
under color of law by willfully failing to aid Floyd, who was “in
clear need of medical care.”

Kueng and Thao face another count
of deprivation of rights for willfully failing to intervene or attempt to stop
Chauvin from using unreasonable force against Floyd. Lane was not charged
because he was recorded on police body cam footage asking Chauvin twice if they
should roll Floyd on his side.
Chauvin denied both requests.

Chauvin was charged with another
count of deprivation of rights under color of law by violating Floyd’s
constitutional right to be free from the use of unreasonable force by a police
officer. Specifically, Chauvin held his left knee across Floyd’s neck, and his
right knee on Floyd’s back and arm, as Floyd lay on the ground, handcuffed and
unresisting, and kept his knees on Floyd’s neck and body even after he became
unresponsive.

According to the second
indictment
unsealed on Friday, Chauvin assaulted a 14-year-old student by
grabbing him by the throat and repeatedly striking him in the head with a
flashlight after the boy refused to get up off the floor. Although the teen was
“lying prone, handcuffed, and unresisting,” Chauvin allegedly choked him unconscious
by kneeling against the back of the boy’s neck on September 4, 2017.

FALL FUNDRAISER

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