Ex-officer sentenced to nearly five years for role in George Floyd’s murder

Tou Thao sentenced to four years and nine months in prison for holding crowds back as other officers restrained George Floyd

A former Minneapolis police officer convicted in state court for his role in the killing of George Floyd was sentenced on Monday to four years and nine months in state prison even as he continued to deny any role in Floyd's death.

Tou Thao, who had held crowds back as other officers restrained Floyd, was found guilty of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter by a jury in May. He had claimed that he merely served as a human traffic cone" during the deadly encounter.