Ex-officer gets 2.5 years for violating George Floyd's civil rights

A federal judge in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Thursday sentenced former Minneapolis police officer Thomas Lane to two-and-a-half years in prison for violating George Floyd's civil rights, reports The New York Times. Lane held down the unarmed Black man's legs while another officer, Derek Chauvin, kneeled on his neck, eventually killing him.

A jury found Lane guilty of violating Floyd's rights by failing to provide him with medical care, although he twice suggested rolling Floyd onto his side to help him breathe. Prosecutors had asked for the maximum sentence, with more than twice as much prison time. "It's insulting that he didn't get the maximum amount of time," said Philonise Floyd, one of Floyd's brothers. Lane is awaiting sentencing on a state manslaughter charge.