Former Minneapolis Police Officer, Thomas Lane, Pleads Guilty to Second-Degree Manslaughter

5/18/2022-Written by SJ

Former Minneapolis police officer, Thomas Lane, has pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter. Lane’s plea comes as part of a deal, almost two years after his role in the 2020 killing of George Floyd, a Black man, who was fatally restrained by Minneapolis police at the intersection of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue in south Minneapolis. The guilty plea will ensure murder charges against Lane are dismissed.

By pleading guilty to manslaughter, Lane avoids a 12-year mandatory murder sentence and is, instead, looking at closer to 36-months—as per the recommendation of both his defense attorneys and attorneys for the State. He will be sentenced in September. Lane has not yet received a sentence for the related federal charges from his February conviction.

Fellow ex-officer, Derek Chauvin, who fatally restrained Floyd, was convicted of murder and sentenced to 22 years in prison last June. J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao, the other now-former cops on the scene of Floyd’s killing, have yet to go on state trial, which is scheduled for next month.

"I am pleased Thomas Lane has accepted responsibility for his role in Floyd's death," Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison stated. "His acknowledgment he did something wrong is an important step toward healing the wounds of the Floyd family, our community, and the nation. While accountability is not justice, this is a significant moment in this case and a necessary resolution on our continued journey to justice."

Attorneys for George Floyd’s family, Ben Crump, Antonio Romanucci, as well as Jeff Storms, released a joint statement earlier today insisting, "Today's guilty plea by former officer Thomas Lane brings the Floyd family another step towards closure for the horrific and historic murder of George Floyd.” The statement continued, "While today is a step in the right direction, we only need to look to the recent and tragic killing of Amir Locke to understand that the City of Minneapolis has a long journey ahead to regain the trust of its citizenry."