Former Minneapolis police officer Tou Thao has been sentenced to 4 years and 9 months in prison for his involvement in the death of George Floyd on May 25, 2020.
This sentencing comes after three other former officers were also convicted for their roles in Floyd's death, which ignited widespread riots across the country for several months.
During the trial, Thao claimed that he acted as a "human traffic cone," attempting to control the crowd of onlookers while then-officer Derek Chauvin restrained Floyd. The incident began when cashiers at a local store called the police, alleging that Floyd had attempted to use a counterfeit bill.
In May, Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill, who presided over Chauvin's trial as well, found Thao guilty of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter. Essentially, Thao was held responsible for not intervening to save Floyd's life.
Thao's sentence will run concurrently with his three and a half year sentence for a separate conviction on a federal civil rights charge. Last week, the US Court of Appeals denied Thao's appeal in that case.
Before the sentencing was announced, Thao expressed his distress over what he called "false narratives" surrounding the case. He shared that he had been reading the Bible in prison and spoke about the concept of repentance, stating, "Repent means changing of mind, changing of doing your will to Gods will. This is what repentance means. Its kind of unpopular today. Its kind of a bad word now. We insist Jesus do all of the dying without surrendering our whole heart to do His will."
Thao further referenced biblical passages, stating, "God tells us in Romans and Psalms that no one is good, not one. For me, I thought I was good enough, but I was deceived. The Pharisees and the scribes. The Pharisees were religious and political leaders. The scribes are loyal teachers. They demonstrate the example of fallen mans nature."
He continued, "They were fearful they would lose their power and influence and the security of their way of life. If Jesus becomes the power, their way of life would be gone. Jesus essentially became a political prisoner. For them, it was better one man than the whole nation."
In response to Thao's statement, Judge Cahill expressed disappointment, stating, "I was hoping for a little more remorse, regret, acknowledgment of some responsibility. And less preaching." The judge also emphasized that Thao's culpability was less than that of Chauvin but greater than that of the other officers, as Thao, being an experienced senior officer, was in the best position to save Floyd.
Additionally, Thao will be prohibited from owning firearms for the rest of his life.
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