Former police officer J. Alexander Kueng sentenced to 3 years for violating George Floyd's civil rights

Former Minneapolis police officer J. Alexander Kueng was sentenced to three years in prison on Wednesday for violating George Floyd's civil rights during the videotaped arrest that killed him on May 20, 2020. Another former officer, Tou Thao, is also expected to receive his sentence Wednesday.

They are two of the four ex-officers previously employed by the Minneapolis Police Department who faced charges for their role in Floyd's death. Kueng, Thao and former officer Thomas Lane were found guilty in federal court earlier this year of constitutional violations for what the jury determined was a willful failure to provide necessary aid to Floyd during the arrest despite his obvious need for medical assistance. Lane was recently sentenced to 2 1/2 years. 

Former officer Derek Chauvin, who knelt on Floyd's neck for 9 1/2 minutes in the bystander video that galvanized global protests against police violence and racism after it surfaced online over two years ago, was convicted on state charges of murder and manslaughter, and then pleaded guilty last year to violating Floyd's civil rights and the civil rights of a teenager in an unrelated case. He was recently sentenced to 21 years in federal prison.