Key takeaways:
- Judge Peter Cahill found Tou Thao guilty of aiding and abetting manslaughter for his role in the death of George Floyd.
- Thao was found guilty of holding back bystanders while his colleagues restrained Floyd.
- The ruling is the latest in a series of rulings in the aftermath of Floyd’s death, and is hoped to bring closure to the family and friends of Floyd, and to the nation as a whole.
On Monday night, a judge in Hennepin County, Minnesota, issued a ruling in the case of Tou Thao, one of four former Minneapolis police officers involved in the death of George Floyd. Thao was found guilty of aiding and abetting manslaughter for his role in the killing of Floyd, which occurred nearly three years ago.
On May 25, 2020, Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, died after officer Derek Chauvin, who is white, pinned him to the ground with his knee on Floyd’s neck for 9 1/2 minutes. Thao was found guilty of holding back bystanders while his colleagues restrained Floyd.
Thao had already been convicted in federal court of violating Floyd’s civil rights, and rejected a plea agreement. Instead of going to trial, Judge Peter Cahill decided the verdict based on written filings by each side and evidence presented in previous cases.
Bystander video footage of the violent arrest went viral online and shook the country, precipitating a nationwide movement for police reform. Thao’s conviction is the latest in a series of rulings in the aftermath of Floyd’s death. It is hoped that this ruling will bring some closure to the family and friends of Floyd, and to the nation as a whole.
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