Tou Thao to be sentenced on Monday for role in George Floyd's murder
MINNEAPOLIS -- One of the officers involved in the murder of George Floyd, Tou Thao, will be sentenced on Monday.
SEE THE UPDATE: Tou Thao gets 57-month sentence on state charge for his role in George Floyd's killing
Thao was found guilty on one count of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter. He is the last of the four former police officers to be sentenced in the state's cases.
The two other ex-officers involved – J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane – were already convicted of the same charges that Thao was convicted of, and received a 3.5- and 3-year prison sentence, respectively.
All four men have already been convicted on federal civil rights violation charges. Chauvin was sentenced to 21 years; Kueng 3 years; Lane 2.5 years; and Thao 3.5 years.
On May 25, 2020, Thao was one of the officers at the scene of Floyd's detainment, which came after a 911 call from a convenience store worker who accused Floyd, a Black man, of using a counterfeit bill.
As now-ex officer Derek Chauvin, who is white, knelt on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes, Thao, who is Hmong-American, stopped bystanders from intervening. Body camera video shows him telling members of the crowd that were gathering at the scene that "This is why you don't do drugs, kids." He is also heard telling an off-duty Minneapolis firefighter to "back off" when she asks to check Floyd's pulse.
READ MORE: Minnesota Court of Appeals affirms Derek Chauvin's murder conviction
Thao currently remains in custody in the Hennepin County jail. He was already sentenced to 3.5 years in Federal prison for federal civil rights violation charges. Both sentences are expected to be served concurrently.
WCCO will be in the courtroom for the sentencing at 9 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 7.
NOTE: The video attached to this article originally aired on May 2, 2023.
