In Minneapolis, on August 7, former MPD police officer Tou Thao faces four years and nine months in federal prison. Having the charges of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter in the killing of George Floyd. As well as violating the civil rights of Mr. Floyd.
Thao, who is a nine-year veteran, role in the killing of Floyd was him restraining worried bystanders. While fellow officer, Derek Chauvin, kneeled on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes; Thao was making a mockery of Floyd’s condition, telling children “This is why you don’t do drugs kids.” Treating George’s life as if it were disposable as if it were meaningless. Thao even testified that he was a “human traffic cone.”
The reason for their presence? Police suspected that Floyd was using a counterfeit $20 bill at a nearby store.
This murder sparked protests across the world against police brutality and racism. Bringing attention to the cruelty those endured before and after.
Thao’s Past Transgressions
Thao is the last of the four police officers to be sentenced in this case. The other two officers at the scene, Thomas Lane and Alexander Kueng, were also violating Floyd’s civil rights as well as restraining his knees and buttocks. As a result, both have three-year sentences in federal prison, along with the state sentence. Chauvin has a 22 1/2-year sentence.
Previously, Thao rejected taking a plea deal on the state charge saying “It would be lying” to plead guilty to something that he believes he didn’t do wrong. With that Thao agreed to let Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill decide the case based on evidence from Chauvin’s 2021 murder trial and Kueng and Lane’s federal civil rights trial.
In a 177-page ruling, Cahill explained that Thao’s actions distanced Chauvin and the two other officers from the crowd, where an EMT was accessible. His actions allowed his colleagues to continue to incapacitate Floyd and restrict bystanders from giving him medical attention. Cahill commentated on his actions, “There is proof beyond a reasonable doubt that Thao’s actions were objectively unreasonable from the perspective of a reasonable police officer, when viewed under the totality of the circumstances.” He concluded his written statement saying “[Thao’s] actions were even more unreasonable in the light of the fact that he was under a duty to intervene to stop the other officers’ excessive use of force and was trained to render medical aid.”
This is not Thao’s first brush with misconduct while on duty. While working as a rookie officer, his training officer cited him eight times for being dishonest and taking shortcuts. During his time on the force, he received six police conduct complaints filed against him. In 2014, he and another officer allegedly were punching, kicking, and kneeing an unarmed black man in handcuffs.
The Sentencing
Before the final sentencing, Thao had an opportunity to give a final statement. Like in previous court appearances, he went on a biblical rant. Recalling back to when in prison, he was distressed about the “false narratives” regarding the case; finding solace in reading the Bible. For 23 minutes, he recited scriptures about repentance and forgiveness, how no one is perfect, etc.
Asking the jury if they brought Bibles and if so, to pull them out. No one did. “Hold onto the truth that I did not commit these crimes, my conscience is clear.” He claims that he had no intention of hurting anyone that day.
While going on that biblically fueled tirade, he didn’t apologize or take any accountability for his role. Judge Cahill was unhappy with Thao’s final statement, hoping that after years of reflection, there would be some type of responsibility taken and possibly a sign of remorse or regret.
After the final words from both the judge and Thao, the former officer got his sentence of 4 years and 9 months, which will be concurrent with his federal sentence of 3 1/2 years.
Final Words
The death of Mr. Floyd truly is a tragedy that hurt the world but also helped spark more awareness of the abuse of power that occurs within the police. Justice has finally been served.
Written by Saniya Fields
Sources:
Star Tribune: Ex-Minneapolis Cop Tou Thao sentenced to nearly 5 years for aiding George Floyd’s killing by Kim Wyatt
Reuters: Minneapolis ex-officer sentenced to nearly 5 years in Floyd killing by Brendan O’Brien
Fox News: Last ex-Minneapolis officer convicted in George Floyd killing gets sentence of 4 years, 9 months by Danielle Wallace
Top and featured image Courtesy of GeorgeFloydMuralBeChangeGoVote’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset image Courtesy of Tony Webster’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
