A former Minneapolis police officer charged in connection with the killing of George Floyd pleaded guilty at the start of his trial in a US court, a judicial spokesman said.
J. Alexander Kueng, who pleaded guilty to one count of accessory to involuntary manslaughter in state court, was one of three officers who did not intervene as Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, knelt on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes. in May 2020, suffocating him.
Kueng and Thomas Lane helped Chauvin forcibly restrain Floyd, an unarmed black man, while another officer, Tou Thao, prevented bystanders from approaching the scene.
All three were previously convicted in federal court of depriving Floyd of his civil rights and sentenced in July to 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 years in prison.
One week of protests over the death of George Floyd
Chauvin was convicted of manslaughter in a state trial and sentenced to 22 1/2 years in prison; he also pleaded guilty to related federal charges and is serving an additional 21-year federal sentence.
Floyd’s death provoked months of protests across the country against widespread police brutality in America.
Kueng’s plea deal includes a 3 1/2-year sentence to be served concurrently with his federal sentence, according to Matt Lehman, a spokesman for the Hennepin County District Court. Lane agreed to a similar deal in May.
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