A FORMER Minneapolis police officer who held back bystanders as George Floyd was killed has been sentenced to five years in prison.
Tou Thao is the fourth and final former Minneapolis police officer to be sentenced in connection to the killing of Mr Floyd in 2020.
Thao held a crowd of people back as Derek Chauvin knelt on Mr Floyd’s neck for nine-and-a-half minutes.
He has been sentenced to four years and nine months for aiding and abetting manslaughter, after he was found guilty in May.
Just before sentencing, Thao told the court he “didn’t intend to hurt anyone.”
Hennepin County District Judge Peter Cahill told Thao he was “hoping for a little more remorse, regret, acknowledgement of some responsibility” before he handing the sentence.
In February 2022, Thao and two other former officers Alexander Kueng, 28, and Thomas Lane, 38, were convicted of depriving Mr Floyd of his right to medical care, when white police officer Chauvin kneeled on his neck on May 25, 2020.
Thao was given a three-and-half sentence for violating Mr Floyd’s civil rights and his new sentence delivered this week, will run concurrently with his previous sentence.
Mr Floyd’s death sparked global protests demanding an end to police brutality and racism.
A bystander captured the incident on video where Mr Floyd, who was 46, was heard saying “I can’t breathe.”
Police had accused Mr Floyd of using a fake $20 bill at a nearby shop
In June 2021, Chauvin was sentenced to 22 and a half years in prison for the murder of Mr Floyd.
It was the first time a police officer in the state of Minneapolis had been convicted of killing a black man.
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This is another clear case of “diversity” working to hurt; injure, and kill African-skinned people.
“Diversity,” is no solution for the type of skin-colour prejudice experienced by African-skin people in the U.S. or England.
Only 5 years! His duty was to protect citizens from others citizens & COPS! Not all cops are bad BUT what corrupts them is the POWER they have it’s life or DEATH in America! America is one of the places I have refused to travel to why? A Black Man or Boy or Women can be so easily killed by a trigger happy WHITE PERSON! Life is cheap in America the land of Capitalistic Greed!