Former police officer who kneeled on George Floyd’s back sentenced to more than 3 years in prison | 24CA News

The former Minneapolis police officer who kneeled on George Floyd’s again whereas one other officer kneeled on the Black man’s neck was sentenced Friday to three-and-a-half years in jail.

J. Alexander Kueng pleaded responsible in October to a state rely of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter. In alternate, a cost of aiding and abetting homicide was dropped. Kueng is already serving a federal sentence for violating Floyd’s civil rights, and the state and federal sentence might be served on the identical time.

Kueng appeared at his sentencing listening to through video from a federal jail in Ohio. When given the prospect to handle the court docket, he declined.

Floyd’s members of the family had the correct to make sufferer impression statements, however none did. 

Attorney Ben Crump, who has represented the household, stated in an announcement earlier than the listening to that Kueng’s sentencing “delivers yet another piece of justice for the Floyd family.”

“While the family faces yet another holiday season without George, we hope that moments like these continue to bring them a measure of peace, knowing that George’s death was not in vain,” he stated.

Kueng knelt on Floyd’s again

Floyd died on May 25, 2020, after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck for nine-and-a-half minutes as Floyd repeatedly stated he could not breathe and ultimately went limp. The killing, which a bystander recorded on video, sparked worldwide protests as a part of a broader reckoning over racial injustice.

Kueng knelt on Floyd’s again throughout the restraint whereas a 3rd officer, Thomas Lane, held Floyd’s legs and a fourth, Tou Thao, saved bystanders from intervening. All of the officers have been fired and confronted state and federal costs.

As a part of his plea settlement, Kueng admitted that he held Floyd’s torso, that he knew from his expertise and coaching that restraining a handcuffed particular person in a susceptible place created a considerable threat, and that the restraint of Floyd was unreasonable beneath the circumstances.

Matthew Frank, who led the prosecution for the Minnesota lawyer basic’s workplace, stated repeatedly throughout the listening to that Floyd was against the law sufferer and that the prosecution “focused on the officers” who precipitated his dying.

He stated the case was not meant to be a broader examination of policing, however added that he hopes it would reaffirm that cops can’t deal with these “who are in crisis as non-people or second-class citizens.”

“Mr. Kueng was not simply a bystander that day. He did less than what some of the bystanders attempted to do in helping Mr. Floyd,” Frank stated.

Kueng’s lawyer blames police management

Kueng’s lawyer, Thomas Plunkett, on Friday blamed the Minneapolis Police Department’s management for Floyd’s dying and Kueng’s punishment.

He accused Medaria Arradondo, the police chief on the time Floyd died, of failing to implement coaching to encourage officers to intervene when one among their colleagues is doing one thing flawed.

“Mr. Kueng, the rookie, sits in prison one year for every day he served the city,” Plunkett stated, referring to the three years he’ll spend behind bars.

He added: “Justice has become nothing more than mean-spirited revenge.”

Kueng’s sentencing brings the instances in opposition to all the former officers a step nearer to decision, although the state case in opposition to Thao remains to be pending.

Then-chief Medaria Arradondo fired Kueng and the three different officers the day after Floyd’s killing and later testified at Chauvin’s trial that the officers didn’t observe coaching. The former head of coaching for the division has additionally testified that the officers acted in a means that was inconsistent with division insurance policies.

Kueng’s sentencing brings the instances in opposition to all the former officers a step nearer to decision, though the state case in opposition to Thao remains to be pending.

Thao beforehand advised Judge Peter Cahill that it “would be lying” to plead responsible.

In October, Thao agreed to what’s referred to as a stipulated proof trial on the aiding and abetting manslaughter rely. As a part of that course of, his attorneys and prosecutors are understanding agreed-upon proof in his case and submitting written closing arguments. Cahill will then determine whether or not he’s responsible or not.

If Thao is convicted, the homicide rely — which carries a presumptive sentence of 12-and-a-half years in jail — might be dropped.

3 officers convicted of federal costs in February

Chauvin, who’s white, was convicted of state homicide and manslaughter costs final 12 months and is serving 22 years within the state case.

He additionally pleaded responsible to a federal cost of violating Floyd’s civil rights and was sentenced to 21 years. He is serving the sentences concurrently on the Federal Correctional Institution in Tucson, Ariz.

Kueng, Lane and Thao have been convicted of federal costs in February: All three have been convicted of depriving Floyd of his proper to medical care and Thao and Kueng have been additionally convicted of failing to intervene to cease Chauvin throughout the killing.

Lane, who’s white, is serving his two-and-a-half-year federal sentence at a facility in Colorado. He’s serving a three-year state sentence on the identical time. Kueng, who’s Black, was sentenced to a few years on the federal counts; Thao, who’s Hmong American, received a three-and-a-half-year federal sentence.