Ex-Minneapolis police officer Thomas Lane has pleaded guilty to state charge of aiding and abetting manslaughter in the death of George Floyd.
Lane is one of three former Minneapolis officers convicted of violating Floyd’s civil rights and faces federal sentences that one expert told the Associated Press could range from less than five years in prison to as much as the 25 years prosecutors are seeking for their former colleague Derek Chauvin.
All three were convicted of depriving Floyd of his right to medical care as the 46-year-old Black man was pinned under Chauvin’s knee for 9 1/2 minutes on 25 May 2020. J. Alexander Kueng knelt on Floyd’s back, Lane held his legs and Tou Thao kept bystanders back.
Thao and Kueng were also convicted of failing to intervene to stop Chauvin during the killing, which was caught on video and sparked protests around the world.
The officers face a state trial in June for allegedly aiding and abetting murder and manslaughter. A federal investigation into the Minneapolis Police Department is also ongoing.
The Minneapolis Police Department is still the subject of two separate investigations. A federal one is examining whether the agency has a pattern or practice of unconstitutional or unlawful policing. That investigation was said to be looking at use of force, the handling of misconduct allegations and the department’s current system of accountability, among other things.
The Minnesota Department of Human Rights is looking into the police department’s policies and practices over the past decade to see if it engaged in systemic discriminatory practices. A message inquiring about the status of the state investigation was not returned Friday.
With files from The Associated Press
