MINNEAPOLIS – In a shocking turn of events, a federal grand jury in Minneapolis, Minnesota has returned two indictments that were unsealed today, charging four former Minneapolis Police Department officers in connection with the death of George Perry Floyd Jr.
Former officers Derek Chauvin, 45; Tou Thao, 35; J. Alexander Kueng, 27; and Thomas Lane, 38, have been charged with federal civil rights crimes for their roles in Floyd’s death. The three-count indictment alleges that all four defendants willfully deprived Floyd of his constitutional rights, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 242.
According to the indictment, on May 25, 2020, 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. The indictment alleges that Chauvin’s actions violated Floyd’s constitutional right to be free from the use of unreasonable force by a police officer and resulted in bodily injury to, and the death of, Floyd.
The indictment also charges Thao and Kueng with willfully failing to intervene to stop Chauvin’s use of unreasonable force, resulting in bodily injury to, and the death of, Floyd. Finally, the indictment alleges that all four defendants saw Floyd lying on the ground in clear need of medical care and willfully failed to aid him.
Separately, Chauvin has been charged with willfully depriving a Minneapolis resident who was then fourteen-years-old of the constitutional right to be free from the use of unreasonable force by a police officer, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 242. The indictment alleges that on September 4, 2017, Chauvin held the teenager by the throat and struck the teenager multiple times in the head with a flashlight. The indictment also alleges that Chauvin held his knee on the neck and the upper back of the teenager even after the teenager was lying prone, handcuffed, and unresisting.
An indictment is merely a formal accusation of criminal conduct. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The charges announced today are separate from the Justice Department’s civil pattern or practice investigation into the City of Minneapolis and the Minneapolis Police Department. The charges are also separate from, and in addition to, the charges the State of Minnesota has brought against these former officers related to the death of Mr. Floyd.
Defendant: Derek Michael Chauvin, Thomas Lane, Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng
Criminal Charges: Federal civil rights crimes for their roles in Floyd’s death, willfully depriving a 14-year-old of constitutional rights
City and State: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Exact Date: May 25, 2020, and September 4, 2017
Sentence or Outcome: Currently pending
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Key Facts
- State: Minnesota
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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