Just weeks after a Minnesota jury found Derek Chauvin guilty of murder, the federal government has introduced new charges against the former police officer and the colleagues who helped him restrain – and ultimately kill – George Floyd. On Friday, a federal grand jury issued an indictment accusing the men of violating Floyd’s constitutional rights.
From the Associated Press:
The three-count indictment names Derek Chauvin, Thomas Lane, J. Kueng and Tou Thao. Specifically, Chauvin, Thao and Kueng are charged with violating Floyd’s right to be free from unreasonable seizure and excessive force. All four officers are charged for their failure to provide Floyd with medical care. Chauvin was also charged in a second indictment, stemming from the arrest and neck restraint of a 14-year-old boy in 2017.
At Chauvin’s Minnesota trial, prosecutors said Lane and Kueng helped hold down Floyd as he struggled to breath. Thao prevented bystanders from intervening in the murder.
According to the indictment, “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.”
Chauvin is currently in a maximum security prison. The other three officers are free on bond. In addition to the new federal indictment, they’ll face a Minnesota jury in August. They are charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and manslaughter.
