Four ex-cops face U.S. rights charges in Floyd killing

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Four former Minneapolis police officers face federal civil rights charges for their role in the arrest and murder of George Floyd, according to court documents unsealed on Friday, showing the Justice Department's tougher stance in such cases.

Freddie Joyner has more

A grand jury has issued a three-count indictment charging Derek Chauvin - the white former officer convicted of murdering George Floyd - and three fellow former officers for their role in the arrest and killing.

In federal court documents unsealed on Friday, the indictment accuses the four officers of violating Floyd’s constitutional rights, including his right to not have his medical needs ignored - demonstrating the U.S. Justice Department's tougher stance in such cases since Joe Biden took office.

The indictment states that "the defendants saw George Floyd lying on the ground in clear need of medical care, and willfully failed to aid Floyd," adding that the officers showed "deliberate indifference to his serious medical needs." Tou Thao, J.

Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane - the three other officers charged - appeared with their lawyers in federal court in Minneapolis on Friday by video.

All three were released on $25,000 bond.

Chauvin, who is awaiting a sentencing hearing on his state convictions, remains in custody.

In a confrontation captured on video that sparked protests against police brutality around the world, Chauvin could be seen pushing his knee into Floyd's neck for more than nine minutes on May 25, 2020, as he and the three other officers arrested the 46-year-old Black man.

Thao, Kueng and Lane, all of whom were fired and arrested days after Floyd's death, also face state charges at a trial set for Aug.

23 that they aided and abetted the second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter of Floyd.

In a separate federal indictment unsealed on Friday, Chauvin was also charged with violating the rights of a 14-year-old boy during an arrest in September 2017, during which he is accused of holding the teen by the neck and hitting him with a flashlight.