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A former Minneapolis police officer was sentenced to 3 years in prison on Wednesday (September 2021) for his role in the 2020 murder of George Floyd.
The 3-year sentence was handed down to ex-cop Thomas Lane, who previously pleaded guilty to a state charge of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter, AP News reports.
Lane is already serving a 2.5-year federal sentence for violating Floyd's civil rights. Prosecutors agreed to allow the former officer to serve his state penalty at the same time as his federal sentence and in federal prison.
He appeared for his hearing Wednesday via video from Federal Correctional Institution Englewood, a low-security federal prison in Colorado.
In May 2020, Lane held down Floyd's legs as fellow former cop Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for over nine minutes, killing the 46-year-old Black man.
Video of the killing sparked protests and a racial reckoning nationwide.
Chauvin was handed down a 22.5-year state sentence on murder and manslaughter charges in 2021. He also pleaded guilty to violating Floyd's civil rights and will serve his federal and state sentence simultaneously.
J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao, former officers who were also convicted for their involvement in Floyd's murder, were sentenced to three and 3.5 years, respectively, on federal civil rights charges.
They are expected to go to trial in October on state charges of aiding and abetting both murder and manslaughter.
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