REALITY TV
TV
MOVIES
MUSIC
CELEBRITY
About Us Contact Us Privacy Policy Terms of Use Accuracy & Fairness Corrections & Clarifications Ethics Code Your Ad Choices
© MEAWW All rights reserved
MEAWW.COM / NEWS / CRIME & JUSTICE

George Floyd death: Officer Thomas Lane did ‘what he thought was right’ and obeyed senior Chauvin, says lawyer

It was the fourth day of Lane on his new job when he helped pin down Geroge Floyd and held his feet
PUBLISHED JUN 8, 2020
Thomas Lane (Hennepin County Sheriff)
Thomas Lane (Hennepin County Sheriff)

The attorney of former Minneapolis police officer Thomas Lane, one of the three charged with aiding and abetting George Floyd's murder, has said that the rookie cop was only “doing what he thought was right”. Through his statement, attorney Earl Gray reportedly tried to fully blame former officer Derek Chauvin for the May 25 death of Floyd, an African-American, who died in police custody after Chauvin knelt on his neck for over eight minutes despite the victim saying, “I can’t breathe”.

The death of Floyd has sparked nationwide protests with people coming out on the streets daily despite the coronavirus pandemic. Several celebrities, including Jennifer Lopez,  Alex Rodriguez, and  Ayesha Curry, have also joined the demonstrators while many have donated to post bail for detained protesters.

“He was doing what he thought was right. He did not stand by and watch. He was holding the legs because the guy was resisting at first,” Gray told the ‘Today’ show on Monday, June 8 as reported by The New York Post. It was the fourth day of Lane on his new job when he helped pin down an unarmed Floyd on the evening of May 25 after getting a report that someone had tried to make a purchase at a store with a fake $20 bill.

The attorney also stated that the 37-year-old cop questioned his superior’s decision to keep the clearly distressed Floyd pinned down, but then felt he had to follow his senior’s instructions. “When he’s holding his legs, he says to Chauvin, ‘Well, shall we roll him over because he says he can’t breathe?’ Chauvin says no,” Gray said. “Now, if you’ve ever been in the military, you ask your sergeant should we do something and he says no, are you going to say, ‘Well no, I’m going to do it anyway’? I don’t think so,” the attorney added.

Following the tragic death of Floyd, Chauvin was initially charged with third-degree murder, but later he was pressed with stronger charges. He is due to make his first court appearance on June 8 after facing charges of second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. While the other three officers, including Lane, were taken into custody and are facing charges of aiding and abetting murder, as well as aiding and abetting manslaughter. They are all being held on an unconditional bail of $1M compounded with $750,000 of conditional bail. If convicted of their charges, they will face up to 40 years in jail.

The latest statement from the attorney comes after another report claimed that Lane was hired despite having a series of criminal offenses and traffic violations against him before he became a cop. According to reports, he was convicted of seven charges in total, including obstructing the legal process and damaging property. Before becoming a police officer, Lane worked on a variety of jobs in the service industry. His personnel file was released by the Minneapolis Police Department recently. However, many parts of the information were redacted.

POPULAR ON MEAWW
MORE ON MEAWW