Federal case comes after Officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of murder in Floyd's death
Four former Minneapolis police officers charged with violating the civil rights of George Floyd, the Black man who was pinned down by a policeman until dying of asphyxiation, are scheduled to be arraigned in federal court Tuesday for violating Floyd’s civil rights, after one of the officers were convicted on state charges of murder.
A federal grand jury indicted Derek Chauvin, Thomas Lane, J. Kueng and Tou Thao in May for allegedly depriving Floyd of his rights while acting under government authority on May 25, 2020, as Floyd, 46, was held face-down, handcuffed and not resisting in a restraint that was captured on bystander video. His death led to worldwide protests and calls for change in policing.
The federal indictment alleges Chauvin, who was convicted on state charges of murder and manslaughter, violated Floyd’s right to be free from unreasonable seizure and unreasonable force by a police officer. Thao and Kueng are charged with violating Floyd’s right to be free from unreasonable seizure by not intervening to stop Chauvin as he knelt on Floyd’s neck. All four officers are also charged with depriving Floyd of his rights when they failed to provide him with medical care.
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