Two former police officers have been sentenced to prison for showing "deliberate indifference" when George Floyd died during an arrest in 2020.
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Two former Minneapolis police officers were sentenced to prison on Wednesday for their role in the 2020 murder of George Floyd — an incident which sparked a resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States.
Kueng helped restrain Floyd while Thao held back bystanders who were pleading with the officers to get off of Floyd as he lay face down on the ground, saying "I can't breathe."
A fourth officer, Thomas Lane, was also sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison back in May for violating Floyd's civil rights.
"All four officers involved in the tragic death of George Floyd have now been convicted in federal court, sentenced to prison and held accountable for their crimes," Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke said in a statement.
Remembering George Floyd through street art
George Floyd's murder by police officer Derek Chauvin inspired street artists around the world to express their support with the Black Lives Matter movement.
Image: Octavio Jones/REUTERS
A global icon
Former police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of the murder of George Floyd. The Black man's brutal death in May 2020 had sparked a worldwide movement of solidarity that was expressed through protests and art. This mural features George Floyd's face and the words, "I can breathe now," a reference to his last words as Chauvin was kneeling on his neck: "I can't breathe."
Image: Octavio Jones/REUTERS
Many faces, one message
Black Lives Matter: In Minneapolis, George Floyd's murder was followed by violent protests against police brutality toward African Americans. On this wall on Hennepin Avenue, the city commemorates not only George Floyd, but also African Americans Eric Garner, Breonna Taylor, Tamir Rice and Philando Castile, who were also killed by police officers.
Image: Mark Hertzberg/ZUMAPRESS/picture alliance
Street art in Gaza
George Floyd became a global figure, depicted in street art around the world. Here in Gaza City, a woman walks past a large mural linking Floyd to the Black Lives Matter movement. Chauvin, the police officer who pressed his knee on Floyd's neck, now faces
up to 40 years in jail after being found guilty on all murder charges.
Street art can also be used to mark a memorial site, as seen here in front of this painting of George Floyd, which was also set up in Minnesota in January 2021. Mourners left flowers and political messages in front of his portrait at the intersection of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue South, where Floyd died.
Image: Tim Evans/NurPhoto/picture alliance
Black Lives Matter in NYC
A temporary Black Lives Matter mural in Manhattan, New York City, displays names of Black people who have been victims of police violence. The Black Lives Matter protests raged around the country in the summer of 2020, gathering hundreds of thousands of demonstrators.
Image: picture alliance
An inauguration mural
In the US capital, Washington, multiple murals commemorate the Black Lives Matter movement and show the faces of those who have died in connection with police brutality. The use of the patriotic colors, red, white and blue, is particularly striking here.
Image: picture alliance
Remembering the victim
This work of street art featuring George Floyd's face is located in Venezuela, in the town of Valencia. It was commissioned by the city's mayor. The microphone is a reminder that Floyd had also made a name for himself as a rapper.
Image: Juan Carlos Hernandez/ZUMAPRESS/picture alliance
'I can't breathe'
George Floyd died after a police officer pressed his knee on Floyd's neck on May 25, 2020. Throughout the 8-minute, 46-second incident, Floyd stated several times that he could not breathe. His last words were painted onto the artwork in Berlin's Mauerpark.
Image: Alexander Borais/Zoonar/picture alliance
A call for solidarity
In Cologne, Germany's fourth largest city, you can find this painting honoring the political struggle of the Black Lives Matter movement. In many major German cities in the summer of 2020, people took to the streets in solidarity with the BLM movement.
Image: Christoph Hardt/Geisler-Fotopress/picture alliance
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Floyd's girlfriend calls for tougher sentencing
Federal prosecutor Manda Sertich argued that Kueng "didn't say a word'' as Floyd lay dying. Meanwhile, fellow federal prosecutor LeeAnn Bell said Thao had "a bird's-eye view of what was going on," adding that he should have known better owing to his "years on the force."
However, during his ruling, US District Judge Paul Magnuson said Keung was "truly a rookie officer" and noted that Thao "had a difficult childhood and have done well to become a good police officer, father and husband."
Floyd's girlfriend at the time of his death, Courteney Ross, afterwards said the sentences "didn't really seem to match the crime to me." She argued for the maximum penalty.
"I am saddened, but I suppose we have to take all of these small triumphs and know that we are going to move forward," Ross added.
Keung and Thao face a state court trial in October on counts of aiding and abetting second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, unless they accept a plea deal in the meantime.