Former officer called complicit in Floyd’s death

MINNEAPOLIS — Prosecutors have urged a Minnesota judge not to dismiss the charges against one of four former Minneapolis police officers charged in the death of George Floyd, saying Tou Thao pushed back a crowd of concerned bystanders and prevented them from intervening as the other officers pinned Floyd to the ground.

In a filing late Monday, the attorney general’s office said there is “more than sufficient” evidence to support charges of aiding and abetting second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter against Thao. His attorney had filed a motion to dismiss.

Hennepin County District Judge Peter Cahill has scheduled a hearing for Sept. 11 to hear motions. The four were fired after Floyd’s May 25 death, which sparked protests against racial injustice and police brutality worldwide. The county’s autopsy concluded that the Black man’s heart stopped while he was being restrained; an autopsy commissioned by Floyd’s family concluded he died of asphyxiation due to neck and back compression.

Derek Chauvin, who kept his knee pressed to Floyd’s neck for nearly eight minutes, is charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

J. Kueng and Thomas Lane face the same charges as Thao. Prosecutors want to try the four together. Trial is scheduled to begin March 8.

Thao has minimized his role in Floyd’s death, describing himself in an interview with investigators as a “human traffic cone” as he held back the onlookers.