Many in the country viewed Derek Chauvin being convicted on all three counts in the murder of George Floyd as a consequential step in achieving justice for the late Minneapolis resident. Already clearly shaping up to be a landmark case in criminal justice for officers involved in similar predicaments, the guilty verdict has snowballed more charges for Chauvin and the other three officers involved in the case.
On Friday (May 7), according to recently unsealed indictments, a federal grand jury indicted the four former Minneapolis police officers that were involved in George Floyd’s death on charges of violating his constitutional rights as he was restrained face-down on the ground unable to breathe.
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The three-count indictment names Derek Chauvin, Thomas Lane, J. Kueng, and Tou Thao. Chauvin, Thao, and Kueng are specifically charged with violating Floyd’s right to avoid unreasonable seizure and search, while all four officers are charged for their failure to provide Floyd with medical attention.
As previously reported, Chauvin was also charged in a second indictment in connection with the arrest and similar deadly neck restraint used on Floyd of a 14-year-old African American boy in 2017.
Chauvin was convicted on state charges of murder and manslaughter last month, and the other three former officers will face a state trial in August, remaining free on bond in the meantime.
We’ll keep you updated with subsequent developments in these federal indictments as well as the upcoming state trial of the remaining officers.
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