Court documents filed on Monday revealed that former Minneapolis police officer Tou Thao has been found guilty of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter in the killing of George Floyd in May 2020, according to a Minnesota judge’s ruling.

In a comprehensive 177-page verdict, Judge Peter Cahill stated that Thao actively encouraged his three fellow officers in their dangerous use of prone restraint on Floyd, despite his training which cautioned against the potential fatal consequences of such positioning.

Cahill further noted in the verdict that, like the bystanders, Thao witnessed Floyd’s life gradually slipping away as the restraint persisted, CNN reported.

However, Thao consciously decided to participate in Floyd’s death by not only holding back concerned onlookers but also preventing an off-duty Minneapolis firefighter from administering crucial medical assistance that Floyd desperately needed.

With this guilty verdict, all four officers involved in the fatal restraint of George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, have now been convicted on both state and federal charges.

Thao’s state case concluded the series of trials related to Floyd’s death, which was captured on video and triggered global protests against police violence targeting Black individuals.

Written by staff