Tou Thao, a former Minneapolis police officer, was found guilty of his role in the murder of George Floyd in May 2020, according to court documents.
Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill announced the decision late Monday night, stating that Thao was guilty of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter and that his sentencing will take place on August 7, according to court documents. The conviction of Thao happened three years after Floyd’s death, which sparked violent nationwide protests lasting for several months. (RELATED: Two Rookie Officers Charged In George Floyd’s Death Were Being Trained By Derek Chauvin, Lawyer Says)
On May 25, 2020, four police officers restrained Floyd while former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck, making it difficult for Floyd to breathe. Chauvin was eventually charged with, and convicted of, second-degree murder, among other charges.
Thao was one of three other police officers charged with depriving Floyd of his civil rights while “failing to render medical assistance,” according to court documents.
UNSPECIFIED LOCATION AND DATE: (EDITORS NOTE: Best quality available) In this handout provided by Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, former Minneapolis police officer Tou Thao poses for a mugshot after being charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder in the death of George Floyd. T (Photo by Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office via Getty Images)
While Thao didn’t physically restrain Floyd, he “encouraged his colleagues’ dangerous prone restraint of Floyd while holding back a crowd of conferred bystanders begging the officers to render medical aid,” according to court documents. Moreover, Thao seemed aware of Floyd’s inability to respond and that he had stopped showing any sign of vitality.
Thao also prevented “an off-duty Minneapolis firefighter from rendering the medical aid Floyd so desperately needed” and retrieved a device known as hobble that could have helped save Floyd’s life, according to the court documents.
“Thao’s actions were even more unreasonable in light of the fact he was under a duty to intervene to stop the other officers’ excessive use of force and was trained to render medical aid,” the documents stated.
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