Former police officer Thomas Lane pleads guilty to manslaughter in killing of George Floyd

Thomas Lane, one of the ex-police officers involved in George Floyd's killing, has pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter.

Thomas Lane, one of the former Minneapolis police officers involved in George Floyd's killing, has pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter, according to the Minnesota attorney general.

State Attorney General Keith Ellison said the plea agreement reached with Lane represents an "important step toward healing the wounds of the Floyd family, our community, and the nation."

Lane, 38, had been scheduled to go to trial next month in state court along with his former Minneapolis police colleagues J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao.

All three defendants were convicted in February by a federal jury on charges of violating George Floyd's civil rights by failing to intervene or provide medical aid as their senior officer, Derek Chauvin, kneeled on the back of the handcuffed 46-year-old Black man's neck for more than nine minutes in the May 25, 2020, incident.