Guilty of accessory to murder ruled one of the former police officers present at his death george floyd, who died of suffocation when former police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck to restrain him, in May 2020 in Minneapolis.

Tu Tao took it upon himself to keep bystanders at bay who were alarmed by the scene and tried to intervene as 45-year-old Floyd lay bleeding on the asphalt. Tu Tao had already been found guilty of “violating the civil rights” of the victim and was sentenced to 3 years and 6 months in prison.

A court in Hennepin County, Minnesota found him guilty today of accessory to murder. His sentence will be announced on August 7.

Tu Tao “was an experienced police officer” and “knew that stopping (a suspect) face down can kill,” Judge Peter Cahill said in his ruling. The ex-cop had waived his right to a jury trial and opted to let Cahill decide whether he is guilty or not. The judge’s 177-page decision was posted on the court’s website this morning.

“Like bystanders, Tao could see Floyd’s slow death. But he made the decision to actively participate in this death: he pushed away concerned bystanders and prevented an off-duty firefighter from providing Floyd with the medical attention he needed,” the judge said. The firefighter repeatedly yelled at the officers to get off Floyd’s body and check his pulse.

The decision, which closes the cycle of trials in this case, “is the one that had to be taken”, commented the Attorney General of Minnesota, Keith Ellison.

It is recalled that on May 25, 2020, the white police officer Derek Chauvin, an experienced member of the Minneapolis police, remained kneeling on the neck of the African-American George Floyd for almost ten minutes, ignoring the victim’s psychosis and the pleas of shocked passers-by. Two other officers, Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng, they helped keep Floyd on the ground and were also found guilty last year of being an accessory to murder.

The scene was filmed and posted online, sparking an unprecedented outcry against racism and police brutality in the US and around the world.

The four officers had gone to the scene to arrest Floyd on suspicion of passing a counterfeit $20 bill to a nearby store.

Chauvin was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to 22.5 years in prison. Last year he was sentenced to 21 years in prison for violating the civil rights of the victim.