May 7 (UPI) — A federal grand jury in Minneapolis on Friday returned indictments against former police officer Derek Chauvin and three others connected with the death of George Floyd for violating his constitutional rights.
The first three-count indictment charges Chauvin and former officers Tou Thao, 35; J. Alexander Kueng, 27; and Thomas Lane, 38, with acting under the color of law in willfully denying Floyd his constitutional rights.
While one account specifically accuses Chauvin of using unreasonable force against Floyd, another charges that Thao and Kueng willfully failed to intervene to stop Chauvin. All four were accused of failing to render medical aid.
The second two-count indictment deals with an incident involving Chauvin on Sept. 4, 2017, when he’s accused of holding a teenager by the throat and striking him multiple times in the head.
The second count accuses Chauvin of placing his knee on the teen’s neck after he stopped resisting.
“The charges announced today are separate from the Justice Department’s civil pattern or practice investigation into the City of Minneapolis and the Minneapolis Police Department,” the Justice Department said in a statement.
The indictments announced Friday will be handled apart from any findings from the investigation into the Minneapolis Police Department that was announced last month. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said that investigation will look into the police practices in Minneapolis.
Chauvin was convicted by a state jury of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter on April 20 in Floyd’s death. He has yet to be sentenced.
Chauvin has since filed an appeal and is seeking a new trial. His attorney says he wasn’t able to receive a fair trial due to high-profile publicity before the case was brought before the court.
