MINNEAPOLIS — One of the former Minneapolis police officers convicted in the murder of George Floyd has been released from custody, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

Thomas Lane was found guilty in 2022 of violating Floyd’s civil rights when former officer Derek Chauvin murdered Floyd on May 25, 2020. Lane was sentenced in 2022 to 2.5 years in federal prison.

Lane was convicted earlier that year on state charges of aiding and abetting manslaughter and was sentenced to three years. Two of those years were served concurrently with his federal sentence, which ended on Feb. 26 of this year, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.  

Lane served his time in Colorado. The prison bureau previously said he would go into supervision after being released.

Lane was one of four former officers convicted in Floyd’s murder, which sparked protests in Minnesota and across the globe.

Chauvin was convicted on state charges of murder and manslaughter and sentenced to 22.5 years. Last fall, the U.S. Supreme Court declined his appeal of that conviction. He also pleaded guilty to federal charges of violating Floyd’s rights and was given a 21-year sentence. 

J. Alexander Kueng pleaded guilty to manslaughter and sentenced to 3.5 years. Tou Thao was convicted of second-degree aiding and abetting manslaughter and sentenced to nearly five years.

Kueng and Thao were also both found guilty of civil rights violations, receiving three- and 3.5-year sentences, respectively.

All of the state and federal sentences were concurrent.

In the wake of Floyd’s murder, the Minneapolis Police Department faced dual investigations from the Minnesota Department of Human Rights and the U.S. Department of Justice. Both investigations found yearslong patterns of discriminatory practices and mandated the city enter into reformatory consent decrees.

WCCO Staff

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