Trial Of 3 Ex-Cops In George Floyds Death Delayed By COVID-19

ST. PAUL, MN — The trial of the three former Minneapolis police officers in George Floyd's killing went into recess Wednesday after one of the former officers tested positive for COVID-19. The trial will resume Monday, according to Judge Paul Magnuson.

According to court reporters, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao were in court Wednesday while Thomas Lane was not. Lane's attorney did not confirm if his client had COVID-19.

In the spring of 2021, a federal grand jury indicted former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin and three other former officers — Kueng, Lane, and Thao — on civil rights violations in Floyd's death.

The federal charges were in addition to the state charges filed against them.

Kueng, Lane, and Thao will stand together in both the federal and state trials. Chauvin pleaded guilty to the federal charges and will not have to stand trial.

The three-count federal indictment in the death of Floyd claims that the four men — acting in their capacity as police officers — "willfully deprived Mr. Floyd of his constitutional rights."

Their actions resulted in Floyd's death, the indictment states.

On May 25, 2020, Chauvin was recorded kneeling on Floyd for more than nine minutes, despite Floyd's protests that he could not breathe. Floyd's death sparked nationwide protests demanding racial justice and police reform.

Federal indictment

Count one

Count one specifically notes that Chauvin held his left knee on Floyd's neck — and his right knee on Floyd's back and arm — while Floyd was handcuffed and not resisting. Chauvin kept his knees on Floyd's body even after he became unresponsive, the count states.

The indictment claims that Chauvin's actions violated Floyd's constitutional right to be free from the use of unreasonable force by a police officer.

Count two

Count two of the indictment claims Thao and Kueng "willfully failed to intervene to stop Chauvin's use of unreasonable force."

Count three

Count three of the indictment claims that all four ex-officers watched Floyd lying on the ground "in clear need of medical care and willfully failed to aid him."

All four officers "willfully deprived Mr. Floyd of his constitutional right not to be deprived of liberty without due process of law, which includes an arrestee's right to be free from a police officer's deliberate indifference to his serious medical needs," the indictment states.

Reporting from the Associated Press was used in this story.