Former police officer sentenced to 2.5 years for violating civil rights of killed George Floyd

Thomas Lane, a former Minneapolis police officer, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison on federal civil rights charges in the May 2020 death of African American George Floyd.

Lane was convicted of depriving Floyd of medical care. Floyd died as a result of the maneuver by former police officer Derek Chauvin, who pressed his knee into his neck.

It was established that Lane held Floyd by the legs while Chauvin knelt on Floyd's neck for nearly nine and a half minutes.

Two other former police officers, Tou Thao and Alexander Kueng, have been convicted of violating Floyd's civil rights and are awaiting sentencing.

The prosecution sought a six-and-a-half-year prison sentence for Lane, while his defense attorney requested just over two years, stating that the former police officer's responsibility was the least.

In June 2021, the court sentenced Derek Chauvin, the former police officer convicted of murdering George Floyd, to twenty-two and a half years in prison.

Floyd's death sparked protests against racism and police brutality in numerous cities across America and the world.

SOURCE: Voice of America PHOTO: SCREENSHOT