J. Alexander Kueng, officer who kneeled on George Floyd's back, sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison

The former Minneapolis police officer who kneeled on George Floyd's back while another officer kneeled on the Black man's neck was sentenced Friday to 3 1/2 years in prison for manslaughter.

J. Alexander Kueng pleaded guilty in October to a state count of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter. In exchange, a charge of aiding and abetting murder was dropped. The plea came on the same day jury selection was set to begin in his trial. His guilty plea — along with another officer's decision to let a judge decide his fate — averted what would have been the third long and painful trial over Floyd's killing.

Matthew Frank, who led the prosecution for the Minnesota attorney general's office, said repeatedly during Friday's hearing that Floyd was a crime victim and that the prosecution "focused on the officers" who caused his death. He said the case was not meant to be a broader examination of policing, but added that he hopes it will reaffirm that police officers cannot treat those "who are in crisis as non-people or second-class citizens."