Derek Chauvin, Tou Thao, J. Alexander Keung and Thomas Lane have been met with federal civil rights charges connected to the murder of George Floyd. Each of the ex-police officers was charged with two counts of deprivation of rights under color of law.
“[The officers] willfully deprived George Floyd of the right, secured and protected by the Constitution and laws of the United States, to be free from an unreasonable force by a police officer,” the indictment reads.
Adding on, Chauvin was hit with federal charges tied to an incident in 2017. The indictment accuses the ex-police officer of assaulting a teenager and then kneeling on him for several minutes. While the teenager did survive, he required further medical care.
“Chauvin, without legal justification, held the teenager by the throat and struck the teenager multiple times in the head with a flashlight,” the indictment adds.
This news comes just a few weeks after Chauvin was convicted of murdering George Floyd last May. His sentencing hearing has been set for June 25. While Chauvin waits to receive his sentence, Keung, Lane and Thao will prepare for their upcoming trial. The trio is accused of aiding and abetting the murder of George Floyd.
#BREAKING A federal grand jury has indicted Derek Chauvin and the three other former Minneapolis police officers on charges they violated George Floyd's civil rights. #GeorgeFloyd #DerekChauvin
— Omar Jimenez (@OmarJimenez) May 7, 2021
