A federal grand jury indicted Derek Chauvin and three other ex-Minneapolis police officers on charges of US civil rights violations on Friday, accusing the four ex-cops of violating George Floyd’s constitutional right to be free from excessive force and unreasonable seizure during an arrest that led to his death in 2020.
Chauvin – who faces sentencing next month on three convictions in connection to Floyd’s death – was also named in a separate civil rights indictment on Friday for a 2017 incident involving a then-14-year-old minor.
The three-count indictment names Derek Chauvin, Thomas Lane, J. Kueng and Tou Thao. Specifically, Chauvin, Thao and Kueng are charged with violating Floyd’s right to be free from unreasonable seizure and excessive force. All four officers are charged for their failure to provide Floyd with medical care. Chauvin was also charged in a second indictment, stemming from the arrest and neck restraint of a 14-year-old boy in 2017.
Chauvin’s sentencing in George Floyd’s murder is scheduled for June 25. Chauvin’s attorney is expected to appeal the former Minneapolis police officer’s April 21 conviction on all three counts against him for the killing of George Floyd.
A Minnesota jury found former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin guilty April 20, 2021 on charges of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for the May 2020 killing of George Floyd.
Jurors announced their final verdict after approximately 10 hours of deliberation. Sentencing will take place in eight weeks and Chauvin will be held without bail until that time.
President Biden called the verdict a “giant step forward” in combating systemic racism in the US.
