Former Minneapolis police officer Tou Thao, who provided crowd control as other officers restrained George Floyd in 2020, was found guilty Monday of abiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter for his role in Floyd’s killing. Prosecutors argued that Thao “made a conscious decision to actively participate in Floyd’s death” by holding back bystanders and blocking an off-duty firefighter from providing “the very medical aid Floyd so desperately needed.” In a 177-page verdict, Minnesota Judge Peter Cahill wrote that Thao, who waived his right to a jury trial, “actively encouraged” his fellow officers’ deadly restrain of Floyd. Thao will be sentenced on August 7. He’s already serving three-and-a-half years for violating Floyd’s civil rights stemming from a separate federal trial last year.
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