The previous Minneapolis police officer who kneeled on George Floyd’s again whereas one other officer kneeled on the Black man’s neck was sentenced Friday to three 1/2 years in jail.

J. Alexander Kueng pleaded responsible in October to a state rely of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter. In alternate, a cost of aiding and abetting homicide was dropped. Kueng is already serving a federal sentence for violating Floyd’s civil rights, and the state and federal sentences might be served on the similar time.

Kueng appeared on the listening to through video from a federal jail in Ohio. When given the possibility to handle the courtroom, he declined.

With credit score for time served and completely different parole pointers within the state and federal programs, Kueng will possible serve a complete of about 2 1/2 years behind bars.

Floyd’s relations had the best to make sufferer influence statements, however none did. Household lawyer Ben Crump, who has taken on among the nation’s most high-profile police killings of Black individuals, stated in a press release earlier than the listening to that Kueng’s sentencing “delivers yet one more piece of justice for the Floyd household. ”

“Whereas the household faces yet one more vacation season with out George, we hope that moments like these proceed to convey them a measure of peace, realizing that George’s loss of life was not in useless,” he stated.

Floyd died on Might 25, 2020, after former Officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on Floyd’s neck for 9 1/2 minutes as Floyd repeatedly stated he could not breathe and finally went limp. The killing, which was recorded on video by a bystander, sparked worldwide protests as a part of a broader reckoning over racial injustice.

Kueng kneeled on Floyd’s again through the restraint. Then-Officer Thomas Lane held Floyd’s legs and Tou Thao, additionally an officer on the time, stored bystanders from intervening. The entire officers had been fired and confronted state and federal costs.

As a part of his plea settlement, Kueng admitted that he held Floyd’s torso, that he knew from his expertise and coaching that restraining a handcuffed particular person in a susceptible place created a considerable danger, and that the restraint of Floyd was unreasonable beneath the circumstances.

Matthew Frank, who led the prosecution for the Minnesota lawyer normal’s workplace, stated repeatedly through the listening to that Floyd was against the law sufferer and that the prosecution “targeted on the officers” who induced his loss of life. He added that the case was not meant to be a broader examination of policing, however added that he hopes it’ll reaffirm that law enforcement officials can not deal with these “who’re in disaster as non-people or second-class residents.”

“Mr. Kueng was not merely a bystander that day. He did lower than what among the bystanders tried to do in serving to Mr. Floyd,” Frank stated.

Kueng’s lawyer, Thomas Plunkett, on Friday blamed the Minneapolis Police Division’s management and a scarcity of coaching for Floyd’s loss of life. He highlighted Kueng’s standing as a rookie — saying he had solely been on the job on his personal for 3 days — and accused division management of failing to implement coaching to encourage officers to intervene when certainly one of their colleagues is doing one thing fallacious.

“On behalf of Mr. Kueng, I’m not calling for justice. I’m calling for progress,” he stated.

Then-Chief Medaria Arradondo fired Kueng and the three different officers the day after Floyd’s killing and later testified at Chauvin’s trial that the officers didn’t comply with coaching. The previous head of coaching for the division has additionally testified that the officers acted in a method that was inconsistent with division insurance policies.

Kueng’s sentencing brings the circumstances in opposition to the entire former officers a step nearer to decision, though the state case in opposition to Thao remains to be pending.

Thao beforehand informed Choose Peter Cahill that it “can be mendacity” to plead responsible. In October, he agreed to what’s known as a stipulated proof trial on the rely of aiding and abetting manslaughter. As a part of that course of, his attorneys and prosecutors are figuring out agreed-upon proof in his case and submitting written closing arguments. Cahill will then determine whether or not Thao is responsible or not.

If Thao is convicted, the homicide rely — which carries a presumptive sentence of 12 1/2 years in jail — might be dropped.

Chauvin, who’s white, was convicted of state homicide and manslaughter costs final 12 months and is serving 22 1/2 years within the state case. He additionally pleaded responsible to a federal cost of violating Floyd’s civil rights and was sentenced to 21 years. He’s serving the sentences concurrently on the Federal Correctional Establishment in Tucson, Arizona.

Kueng, Lane and Thao had been convicted of federal costs in February: All three had been convicted of depriving Floyd of his proper to medical care, and Thao and Kueng had been additionally convicted of failing to intervene to cease Chauvin through the killing.

Lane, who’s white, is serving his 2 1/2-year federal sentence at a facility in Colorado. He is serving a three-year state sentence on the similar time. Kueng, who’s Black, was sentenced to 3 years on the federal counts; Thao, who’s Hmong American, acquired a 3 1/2-year federal sentence.