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Jury begins second day of deliberations in case of cops charged with violating Floyd's civil rights

George Floyd Other Officers Who Are They?
Posted at 10:35 AM, Feb 24, 2022
and last updated 2022-02-24 13:46:21-05

A jury in Minnesota is deliberating for a second day in the federal trial of three fired Minneapolis police officers accused of violating George Floyd's civil rights.

Jurors met for about seven hours Wednesday, the first day of deliberations, with no decision.

For prosecutors, J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao "chose to do nothing" as a fellow officer, Derek Chauvin, squeezed the life out of Floyd.

Defense attorneys countered that the officers were too inexperienced, weren't trained properly and did not willfully violate Floyd's rights.

The two officers who first responded to the scene on the day of Floyd's death were rookie cops. Lane was working his fourth-ever shift, and Kueng was working his third shift. Both said they deferred to Chauvin's years of police experience.

Kueng, Lane and Thao are charged with depriving Floyd of his right to medical care when Chauvin pressed his knee into Floyd's neck. Kueng and Thao are also charged with failing to intervene to stop Chauvin during the May 25, 2020, killing.

Chauvin has already been convicted of Floyd's murder last spring and was later sentenced to 22.5 years in prison.