Tou Thao, a former Minneapolis police officer who was involved in the death of George Floyd, has been sentenced to almost five years in prison.
During the Floyd incident in May 2020, Mr. Thao had held back people as another officer, Derek Chauvin, knelt on Mr. Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes—an action said to be fatal. On Monday, Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill sentenced Mr. Thao to a prison term of 4 years and nine months. “Based on the Court’s factual findings, there is proof beyond a reasonable doubt that Thao knew Chauvin was creating an unreasonable risk to Floyd. Thao was aware of the restraint, the officer’s actions, and the fact that Floyd was in medical distress,” the court ruling (pdf) said.
