- J. Alexander Kueng, Derek Chauvin, Thomas Lane, and Tou Thao are the four officers convicted of killing George Floyd.
- He pled guilty to aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter in October 2022.
- Kueng was sentenced to 3.5 years in prison.
J. Alexander Kueng, one of the former Minneapolis police officers responsible for the killing of George Floyd, was sentenced to prison on Friday (Dec. 9). Kueng, 29, received 3.5 years in prison after pleading guilty to aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter. Kueng pled guilty as part of a plea deal, with the state agreeing to drop a count of aiding and abetting second-degree unintentional murder, according to CNN.
Keung appeared remotely for the sentencing. He’s currently serving a three-year federal sentence at the US Bureau of Prisons Elkton facility in Lisbon, Ohio, for violating George Floyd’s civil rights. “The sentencing of Alexander Kueng for his role in the murder of George Floyd delivers yet another piece of justice for the Floyd family,” attorneys Ben Crump, Antonio Romanucci, and Jeff Storms – the team representing Floyd’s family – said in a statement. “While the family faces yet another holiday season without George, we hope that moments like these continue to bring them a measure of peace, knowing that George’s death was not in vain.”
In February 2022, J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane, and Tou Thao were convicted of violating George Floyd’s civil rights when they failed to secure medical attention for Floyd when Officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck, resulting in his death. Kueng and Thao were also charged with failing to intervene as Chauvin harmed Floyd.
If an officer sees a colleague try to chokehold anyone, they must intervene verbally, or physically if necessary. Failure to do so means they could face punishment as severe as the officer committing the prohibited action, according to the Associated Press. Additionally, the police chief or a deputy chief must authorize any use of chemical agents, rubber bullets, flash-bangs, batons, and marking rounds.
In the now viral-video of George’s death, Chauvin is the officer pinning George to the ground with his knee on the back of the black man’s neck. Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng allegedly held George’s legs and back, respectively, while Tou Thao instructed onlookers to “get back on the sidewalk. George Floyd’s death sparked a massive amount of outrage, which was followed by numerous protests against systemic racial oppression and police brutality.
He Was One Of The Two Officers Who First Confronted George Floyd
It was Officers Lane and Kueng who approached George Floyd after someone at the Cup Foods market reported a man buying merchandise with a counterfeit $20 bill, according to a criminal complaint filed by the Hennepin County Attorney. According to the document, obtained by HollywoodLife, the cops approached George’s car, with Lane talking with George while Kueng spoke with the front seat passenger. Officer Lane ordered George out of the vehicle, put his hands on him, and handcuffed him. Officers Chauvin and Thao arrived soon afterward. The four attempted to get Floyd into a cop car, while George struggled and said he was claustrophobic.
Chauvin ultimately pinned George to the ground, a knee pressed into his neck. Chauvin kept the knee there for almost nine minutes. Around 8:24 pm, George stopped moving. J. Alexander Kueng checked for a pulse as an ambulance arrived. George Floyd was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
He Received His Law Enforcement Degree Months Before The Gorge Floyd Killing.
Like Officer Lane, J. Alexander Kueng was a relative rookie to the MPD. He attained his law enforcement license in August 2019, the same time that Lane received his license.
Keung Had No Previous Complaints Against Him.
Unlike officer Tou Thao, who was the subject of a 2017 lawsuit over an alleged police brutality incident in 2014 (and who also had six police conduct complaints against him at the time of his arrest), J. Alexander Kueng had no complaints against his record before his firing.
His Family Didn’t Speak About Him At First.
Though a relative of Officer Lane defended him to the Star Tribune (“He doesn’t have a bad bone in his body”), a relative of Kueng wasn’t in the mood to chat. “There’s no way to comment,” a local relative said to the publication, “so don’t start.”
His Fellow Former Officers Also Received Jail Time
Derek Chauvin was given 21 years for violating George Floyd’s civil rights, on top of the 22.5 he received in June 2021 for second- and third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.