On Friday, a federal grand jury indicted four ex-Minnesota police officers on charges that they violated George Floyd’s civil rights.
Derek Chauvin, 44, Thomas Lane, 37, J. Alexander Kueng, 26, and Tou Thao, 34, are facing federal charges related to Floyd’s May 2020 death. The Star Tribune reports that Lane, Thao, and Kueng appeared in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis via videoconference on Friday. Chauvin, who was convicted on April 20 of second-degree murder, second-degree manslaughter, and third-degree murder, was not in attendance.
The news outlet previously reported that federal prosecutors were ready to immediately arrest Chauvin if he was acquitted in Floyd’s death or if his initial trial ended in a mistrial. However, that plan did not go into effect as the former officer was found guilty of all charges against him.
On the state level, Thao, Kueng, and Lane are charged with aiding or abetting Chauvin. Their joint trial is scheduled to begin on August 23.
Since the four former officers are now indicted on state charges, they will stand trial twice: once in state court and once in federal court.
Chauvin’s sentencing is scheduled for June 16.
This story is developing…
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[Featured image: Derek Chauvin, Thomas Lane, Alexander Kueng, Tuo Thao/Hennepin County Jail]
