2 ex-cops sentenced to prison for violating George Floyd's civil rights

Memorial to George Floyd.
(Image credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Former Minneapolis police officers J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao were sentenced on Wednesday to three and 3.5 years in prison, respectively, after they were found guilty of violating George Floyd's civil rights, NBC News reports.

Both men are also required to complete two years of supervised release once their sentences conclude. The pair was originally convicted in February of violating Floyd's rights by failing to provide medical aid as well as intervene while former Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd's neck, ultimately killing him. His death served as the catalyst for racial justice and police brutality protests in the summer of 2020.

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George Floyd's girlfriend said she thought Thao "showed no remorse. Not even a bit," and told NBC News she was disappointed in the pair's sentences.

Chauvin, meanwhile, has been sentenced to 21 years in federal prison for violating Floyd's civil rights, and will serve that time concurrently with the 22.5-year sentence he received after being found guilty of second- and third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter at the state level.

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Brigid Kennedy

Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.