Ex-Minneapolis officer who held back crowd found guilty of aiding in George Floyd’s killing
- Tou Thao, who already had been convicted in federal court of violating George Floyd’s civil rights, was last of the 4 former officers facing judgment
- Floyd’s killing touched off protests around the world and forced a national reckoning with police brutality and racism
A former Minneapolis police officer who held back bystanders while his colleagues restrained a dying George Floyd has been convicted of aiding and abetting manslaughter.
Tou Thao, who already had been convicted in federal court of violating Floyd’s civil rights, was last of the four former officers facing judgment in state court in Floyd’s killing.
He rejected a plea agreement and, instead of going to trial, let Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill decide the verdict based on written filings by each side and evidence presented in previous cases. His Monday ruling was released Tuesday.
Prosecutors argued in their filings in January that Thao “acted without courage and displayed no compassion” despite his nearly nine years of experience, and that he disregarded his training even though he could see Floyd’s life ebbing away.
Floyd, a black man, died May 25, 2020, after officer Derek Chauvin, who is white, pinned him to the ground with his knee on Floyd’s neck for 9 1/2 minutes. Bystander video captured Floyd’s fading cries of “I can’t breathe.”
