Warren E. Burger Federal Building (51840843114) — Credit: Chad Davis · CC BY-SA 2.0
On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black American man, was killed by Derek Chauvin, a 44-year-old White Minneapolis police officer, after Floyd was arrested outside Cup Foods, a Minneapolis convenience store, following a report that he had used a counterfeit $20 bill. Officers J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane restrained Floyd on the ground, with Lane having earlier pointed a gun at Floyd before he was handcuffed, while officer Tou Thao kept bystanders from intervening. Chauvin knelt on Floyd's neck for more than nine minutes while Floyd, handcuffed and lying face-down, repeatedly said he could not breathe. Floyd became unresponsive; Kueng found no pulse, and Chauvin did not remove his knee despite bystanders' pleas. Floyd was pronounced dead at 9:25 p.m. at Hennepin County Medical Center.
Videos filmed by bystanders and captured by security cameras became public the next day, and the Minneapolis Police Department fired all four officers on May 26, 2020. Two separate autopsies — one by the Hennepin County medical examiner and one commissioned by Floyd's family — along with a review by the Office of the Armed Forces Medical Examiner, concluded that Floyd's death was a homicide caused by restraint and neck compression.
Chauvin was charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter on May 29, 2020; the charge was upgraded to second-degree murder on June 3, 2020, when the other three officers were charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and manslaughter. A proposed plea deal for Chauvin fell through in mid-2020 after federal officials declined to approve it. Chauvin's state trial began March 8, 2021, and on April 20, 2021, a jury convicted him of unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter. He was sentenced on June 25, 2021, to 22.5 years in prison. In December 2021, Chauvin pleaded guilty to federal civil rights charges related to Floyd's death and a separate 2017 incident, and was sentenced in July 2022 to 21 years, to run concurrently with his state sentence.
The other three officers were federally indicted on civil rights charges in May 2021. Kueng, Lane, and Thao were tried together in federal court and, in February 2022, all three were convicted of willfully violating Floyd's civil rights by failing to provide medical care; Kueng and Thao were also convicted of failing to intervene against Chauvin's use of force. They were sentenced in mid-2022 to federal prison terms ranging from 2.5 to 3.5 years. On separate state charges, Lane pleaded guilty in May 2022 to aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter and was sentenced in September 2022 to three years, to run concurrently with his federal term. Kueng pleaded guilty to the same state charge in October 2022 and was sentenced in December 2022 to three and a half years, also concurrent. Thao waived a jury trial in favor of an evidentiary review by a judge and was found guilty in a written verdict on May 2, 2023, receiving a sentence of four and three-quarter years in August 2023.
In March 2021, the City of Minneapolis agreed to pay Floyd's family $27 million to settle a wrongful death lawsuit, described by the family's attorney as the largest pre-trial settlement of its kind in U.S. history at the time. Floyd's death triggered large-scale protests worldwide against police brutality, racism, and lack of police accountability, and led to state and federal civil rights investigations into the Minneapolis Police Department.
East 38th Street and Chicago Avenue, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Case status
solved
Case timeline
2020-05-25
George Floyd is arrested outside Cup Foods in Minneapolis; Derek Chauvin kneels on his neck for over nine minutes while Floyd is restrained face-down and handcuffed.
2020-05-25
Floyd is pronounced dead at 9:25 p.m. at Hennepin County Medical Center.
2020-05-26
Minneapolis Police Department fires Chauvin, Kueng, Lane, and Thao after bystander and security camera videos become public.
2020-05-29
Chauvin is charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
2020-06-01
Two autopsies are released, both determining Floyd's death to be a homicide.
2020-06-03
Charge against Chauvin is upgraded to second-degree murder; the other three officers are charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and manslaughter.
2021-03
City of Minneapolis agrees to pay $27 million to settle a wrongful death lawsuit brought by Floyd's family.
2021-04-20
Jury finds Chauvin guilty of unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter.
2021-05-07
All four officers are indicted on federal civil rights charges.
2021-06-25
Chauvin is sentenced to 22.5 years in prison on state charges.
2021-12-15
Chauvin pleads guilty to federal civil rights charges.
2022-02-24
Kueng, Lane, and Thao are found guilty on federal civil rights charges.
2022-05-18
Lane pleads guilty to state charge of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.
2022-07-07
Chauvin is sentenced to 21 years on federal civil rights charges, to run concurrently with his state sentence.
2022-09-21
Lane is sentenced to three years in prison on the state manslaughter charge.
2022-10-24
Kueng pleads guilty to state charge of aiding and abetting manslaughter; Thao waives jury trial for an evidentiary review.
2022-12-09
Kueng is sentenced to three and a half years in prison on the state charge.
2023-05-02
Judge issues written verdict finding Thao guilty of aiding and abetting manslaughter.
2023-08-07
Thao is sentenced to four and three-quarter years in prison.
2024-08-20
Lane is released from prison after completing his sentences.
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People
J. Alexander Kueng
CONVICTED
Minneapolis police officer convicted of violating Floyd's civil rights and pleaded guilty to state charge of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.
Derek Chauvin
CONVICTED
Minneapolis police officer convicted of unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter for kneeling on Floyd's neck; also pleaded guilty to federal civil rights charges.
Tou Thao
CONVICTED
Minneapolis police officer convicted of violating Floyd's civil rights and of aiding and abetting manslaughter after an evidentiary trial by judge.
George Floyd
VICTIM
46-year-old Black American man killed during a police arrest in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020.
Thomas Lane
CONVICTED
Minneapolis police officer convicted of violating Floyd's civil rights and pleaded guilty to state charge of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.
Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.
On May 25, 2020, Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on George Floyd's neck for over nine minutes while Floyd was handcuffed and face-down, killing him; Chauvin was convicted of murder and manslaughter, and three other officers were convicted of related charges.
Where did the murder happen?
East 38th Street and Chicago Avenue, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Who was convicted?
J. Alexander Kueng (Minneapolis police officer convicted of violating Floyd's civil rights and pleaded guilty to state charge of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.), Derek Chauvin (Minneapolis police officer convicted of unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter for kneeling on Floyd's neck; also pleaded guilty to federal civil rights charges.), Tou Thao (Minneapolis police officer convicted of violating Floyd's civil rights and of aiding and abetting manslaughter after an evidentiary trial by judge.), and Thomas Lane (Minneapolis police officer convicted of violating Floyd's civil rights and pleaded guilty to state charge of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.).
