MINNEAPOLIS — In the wake of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin's conviction in the murder of George Floyd, attention now turns to the impending trial of the three other officers present when Floyd died.
Tuesday, a jury found Chauvin guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter in Floyd's death. Chauvin is the second police officer in the state to be convicted of killing a civilian, and the first white police officer to be convicted of killing a Black man in Minnesota. The first murder conviction for a Minnesota officer was that of Mohamed Noor, a Somali officer convicted of third-degree murder and manslaughter in the shooting death of a Justine Ruszczyk Damond, a white woman.
Former Minneapolis police officers Tou Thao, Thomas Kiernan Lane, and J. Alexander Kueng responded with Chauvin to the call that ended in Floyd's death. They face charges of aiding and abetting Chauvin on two of his charges.
At a Minnesota Court of Appeals hearing scheduled for May 20, the state attorney general's office will try to add a third-degree murder charge against Thao, Lane, and Kueng.
Thao, Lane and Kueng are currently scheduled to face trial in August. In January, a judge split their trial from Chauvin's in accordance with COVID-19 safety protocols. If convicted, the three officers could face more than 16 years in prison.
For Floyd's family, the next step is legislative action. Rodney Floyd, George's younger brother, spoke at a press conference held by the family and their attorney following Chauvin's conviction and said they would "keep pressure on the Senate."
"We're going to try to get the George Floyd Act passed," Rodney said. The act, which was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives last June, addresses policing practices and law enforcement accountability. The bill passed in the House on March 3 and awaits a vote in the Senate.