A former Minneapolis police officer in the US state of Minnesota was sentenced on Friday to three-and-a-half years in prison for his part in George Floyd’s death.
J. Alexander Kueng, 29, who kneeled on Floyd’s back during his May 25, 2020, fatal arrest, pleaded guilty in October to one count of aiding and abetting in second-degree manslaughter as part of an agreement with prosecutors. Multiple news outlets reported on his sentencing Friday.
The plea was announced as a joint state trial for Kueng and fellow officer Tou Thao was to begin with jury selection. A second charge of aiding and abetting in second-degree unintentional murder was dismissed as part of Kueng’s plea agreement, according to ABC.
Keung and Thao, 34, are currently serving federal sentences after being convicted in February on federal charges of violating Floyd’s civil rights.
“J. Alexander Kueng is now the second officer involved in Floyd’s death to accept responsibility through a guilty plea,” Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said in an October statement on the plea deal. “That acknowledgement hopefully can bring comfort to Floyd’s family and bring our communities closer to a new era of accountability and justice.”
Derek Chauvin, 46, the officer who kneeled on Floyd’s neck, was found guilty on three counts in Floyd’s death: second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for pressing his knee against Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes.
Chauvin was sentenced to 22.5 years and had additionally been sentenced to 21 years on federal civil rights charges.
Floyd, 46, died after Chauvin kneeled on Floyd’s neck as he repeatedly said he could not breathe.
Fellow officer Thomas Lane, 39, pleaded guilty in May to a second-degree manslaughter charge and has been serving a two-and-a-half-year federal sentence concurrently with his three-year state prison sentence.
Floyd’s death ignited protests across the US against police brutality and systemic racism.
“We must never forget the horror of what we all saw in that 9-minute video, and that there rightfully should be both accountability for all involved as well as deep lessons learned for police officers and communities everywhere,” Floyd’s family attorney Ben Crump said in an October statement on Keung’s plea deal.
Source: Anadolu Agency