The former police officers involved in the death of George Floyd are facing new federal charges for civil rights violations that could lead to death penalty if convicted.
- May 9, 2021
AceShowbiz - The four former Minnesota police officers charged in the murder of George Floyd are facing new federal counts for civil rights violations.
Derek Chauvin, Thomas Lane, Tou Thao, and J. Alexander Kueng have been named in a new indictment filed in federal court in Minnesota, regarding the death of Minneapolis resident Floyd in May, 2020.
The court papers, released on Friday (07May21), state, "The defendants saw George Floyd lying on the ground in clear need of medical care, and willfully failed to aid Floyd, thereby acting with deliberate indifference to a substantial risk of harm to Floyd."
The documents also single out Chauvin, who was convicted for the murder of Floyd last month (Apr21), claiming he deprived Floyd of the right to be free from "unreasonable seizure, which includes the right to be free from the use of unreasonable force by a police officer."
Thao and Kueng were additionally charged for failing to intervene as Chauvin kneeled on Floyd's neck for almost 10 minutes as he struggled to breathe, leading to his subsequent death, which triggered worldwide protests against police brutality and racial injustice.
If convicted of the civil rights violations, the men could face life behind bars, or even the death penalty.
The new charges add to the four former cops' legal woes - Chauvin is currently awaiting sentencing for the state murder conviction, while Lane, Thao, and Kueng are due to stand trial in August to face counts of aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.
