ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Former Minneapolis police Officer Thomas Lane was sentenced Thursday to 2 1/2 years in prison on a federal civil rights charge for his role in the killing of George Floyd.
U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson sentenced Lane for his February conviction of depriving Floyd of medical care as he lay dying under Officer Derek Chauvin’s knee in May 2020.
“Mr. Lane this is a very serious offense, in which a life was lost,” Magnuson said. “The fact that you did not get up and remove Mr. Chauvin when Mr. Floyd became unconscious is a violation of the law.”
But Magnuson also held up 145 letters of support for Lane — he said he had never received so many on behalf of a defendant & faulted the Minneapolis Police Department for sending him out with another rookie on the call that ended with Floyd’s killing.
Federal prosecutors had asked for a sentence of up to 6 1/2 years, in line with federal guidelines. Lane’s attorney asked for a little over 2 years, arguing that Lane was the least culpable of the officers in part because he had asked his colleagues twice whether Floyd should be turned on his side.
Magnuson ordered him to surrender to U.S. Marshals on Oct. 4.
Lane, who is white, held Floyd’s legs as Chauvin pinned Floyd for nearly 9 1/2 minutes. Two other officers, J. Alexander Kueng & Tou Thao, were also convicted of violating Floyd’s civil rights & will be sentenced later. Lane faces a separate sentencing Sept. 21 in state court after changing his plea there to guilty to a reduced charge of aiding & abetting manslaughter.
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