Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane, three former Minneapolis police officers, were charged with violating George Floyd’s civil rights Feb. 24.
The three were charged with depriving Floyd of his right to medical care as Derek Chauvin, who previously plead guilty to murdering Floyd last December, pressed his knees onto Floyd’s neck for over nine minutes.
Thao, Kueng and Lane were videotaped keeping bystanders back, kneeling on Floyd’s back and holding his legs, respectively.
Kueng and Lane said their inaction was a result of Chauvin’s seniority within the department, while Thao said his attention was on keeping the crowd at bay.
A federal civil rights violation that results in death can be punishable by life in prison, though such a sentence is rare.