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Former Minneapolis police officer Thomas Lane was sentenced to 30 months in prison Thursday for violating George Floyd’s civil rights.
The ruling comes more than two years after the death of Floyd occurred when his upper airway was compressed after his hands were bound and a knee was pressed into his back, preventing him from being able to breath.
MINNEAPOLIS POLICE TRIAL: GEORGE FLOYD DIED BECAUSE HIS BREATHING WAS RESTRICTED, EXPERT TESTIFIES
Lane was one of four Minneapolis police officers charged in connection to the murder of the 46-year-old Black man, and he was convicted in February for depriving him medical care during his arrest.
This photo provided by the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office in Minnesota on Wednesday, June 3, 2020, shows Thomas Lane.
(Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office via AP File)
Derek Chauvin, the officer who knelt on Floyd’s back, was sentenced to more than 20 years in federal prison earlier this month.
But Lane, who was heard on body camera footage during the arrest questioning whether they should roll Floyd over after he complained of not being able to breath, reached a plea deal and plead guilty to the charge of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.
He agreed to serve three years behind bars in May, though federal prosecutors were seeking more than double that time.
The sentence handed down by U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson was well below the six and a half year sentencing prosecutors and Floyd’s family had pushed for.
This combination of photos provided by the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office in Minnesota on Wednesday, June 3, 2020, shows from left, Minneapolis Police Officers Derek Chauvin, J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao. Chauvin.
(Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office via AP, File)
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Former officers J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao were also found guilty of violating George Floyd’s civil rights earlier this year, and they are expected to land more time in prison than Lane.
Lane, who remains free on bond through Oct. 4, will face another round of sentencing on state-related charges in September.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
