Former Minneapolis police officer Tou Thao sentenced as part of the murder of George Floyd. (FOX 9)
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Tou Thao, one of four Minneapolis police officers convicted of charges related to the murder of George Floyd in 2020, is set to be released from prison next week.
Tou Thao to be released
What we know:
State and federal prison records show Tou Thao is slated to be released from federal custody on Monday, Nov. 3.
Thao is serving time in a federal facility in Lexington, Kentucky.
Thao's sentence
The backstory:
Thao was convicted of both federal and state charges related to George Floyd's murder. In the state case, he was sentenced to 4.75 years in prison for aiding and abetting manslaughter. The state case sentence ran concurrent with a federal civil rights conviction.
Thao was among the officers at the scene of Floyd's killing who stood by as Derek Chauvin kneeled on Floyd for more than nine minutes. Unlike the other two assisting officers, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane, Thao opted to take his state case to trial. The decision left Thao's fate in the hands of Judge Peter Cahill. In his decision, Cahill found Thao guilty, writing Thao "made a conscious decision to actively participate in Floyd's death: he held back the concerned bystanders and even prevented an off-duty Minneapolis firefighter from rendering the medical aid Floyd so desperately needed."
Dig deeper:
At sentencing, Thao said he never intended to do any harm when he responded to the Floyd scene. "I did the best I thought I could," Thao told the court. "Obviously, the outcome didn't come out the way I wanted it."
Thao also leaned on religion during his sentencing, reading Bible passages in court, and saying he'd found comfort in his faith while facing trial.