National Center For Police Defense Announces Support For Ex-MPD Officer's Lane & Kueng In Floyd Case

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The National Center for Police Defense, a nonprofit committed to helping law enforcement officers within the legal process, announced on Monday their intentions to support two former Minneapolis officers charged in George Floyd's death.

Floyd was killed May 25 in south Minneapolis, after a 911 call about a counterfeit $20 bill ended with Floyd's death at the hands of four police officers, who have been fired from the MPD and all face criminal charges.

In a widely-seen video, the arresting officer Derick Chauvin is seen kneeling on George Floyd's neck for nearly eight minutes. Thomas Lane and J Alexander Kueng helped hold Floyd down while Tou Thao stood watch.

Chauvin is facing several charges, including second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

Thao, Lane and Kueng have all been charged with aiding and abetting in the crime.

According to the National Center for Police Defense, the incident marked Lane's 4th shift and Kueng's 3rd shift on the force, compared with Chauvin, who had been with the police department for 18 years.

"These young men were rookies on the force, only a few days on the job, and were working under a senior officer who was also a training officer," National Center for Police Defense President James Fotis states. "These young men witnessed one of the most horrific incidents you can see while on the force: the death of a handcuffed suspect in custody. Apparently, these two rookies voiced challenges to the situation but were not heard."

The National Center for Police Defense plans to campaign and raise funds to support Lane and Kueng as they prepare for court hearings.

If they are convicted, Lane and Kueng could face up to 40 years in prison.