Washington

Former Minneapolis police officer Tou Thao has been convicted of aiding and abetting the death of George Floyd, which had led to a massive Black Lives Matter protest in the US in 2020.

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The 37-year-old was already serving a three-and-a-half-year sentence after being found guilty on federal charges of violating civil rights of Floyd, a Black man who died after being choked with a knee-on-neck press by one of the cops.

Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill pronounced the verdict on Monday night, saying, "the verdict is based on the finding of fact and conclusions of law."

Thao, one of the former cops charged of manslaughter in the case, was accused of holding back a small crowd of bystanders when three other officers were subduing Floyd.

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"Based on his training, Thao was actively aware that the restraint he witnessed grossly deviated from the standard of care, was extremely dangerous, and risked Floyd's death," Cahill wrote in his decision.

It comes almost three years after Floyd's death on May 25, 2020, at the hands of police officers which sparked protests nationwide.

A furore had erupted after the video of footage of one of the police officers, Derek Chauvin, kneeling on the handcuffed Floyd's neck for more than nine minutes emerged. Chauvin was found guilty of murder in 2021.

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Police were acting against Floyd based on the suspicion that he was using a counterfeit $20 bill at a nearby store.

Following Tuesday’s verdict, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said in a statement that it "brings one more measure" of accountability in Floyd's death.

"Accountability is not justice, but it is a step on the road to justice," Ellison said.

Last year, two other officers—Thomas Lane and J Alexander Kueng who restrained Floyd’s knees and buttocks—pleaded guilty in state court to aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter, the same charge Thao faced.

While Lane was sentenced to three-and-half-years years in prison, Kueng was sentenced to three years.

Thao's lawyers had contended that he believed Floyd was high on narcotics and having a distressed reaction.

The officer was told during police training that knee restraints on the neck were appropriate in some instances, the lawyers wrote, and he believed the other three officers were mindful of Floyd's medical needs.

(With inputs from agencies)

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