MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — 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 …
By STEVE KARNOWSKI MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — 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 the May 25 death of Floyd, a Black man, which sparked protests against racial injustice and police brutality worldwide. 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.
