Trial of 3 cops in Floyd killing delayed by COVID diagnosis

FILE - This combination of photos provided by the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office in Minnesota on June 3, 2020, shows, from left, former Minneapolis police officers J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao. The former policer officers are on trial in federal court accused of violating Floyd's civil rights as fellow Officer Derek Chauvin killed him. Judge Paul Magnuson abruptly recessed on Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2022 after one of the defendants tested positive for COVID-19. (Hennepin County Sheriff's Office via AP, File)

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The federal trial of three former Minneapolis police officers charged with violating George Floyd’s rights was abruptly suspended after one of the defendants tested positive for COVID-19.

The judge says the court is in recess until Monday.

The officer who tested positive wasn’t named, but reporters in the courtroom said J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao were present and Thomas Lane was not.

Lane’s attorney declined to say whether his client had COVID-19.

Federal prosecutors say the three officers deprived Floyd of his rights when they failed to give him medical aid as Officer Derek Chauvin knelt on the Black man’s neck for 9 1/2 minutes while Floyd was handcuffed, facedown and gasping for air.

Chauvin was found guilty of murder in state court. He entered a guilty plea on the federal civil rights charges.

.Page-below > .RichTextModule {display:none;} .Page-below .Link {font-size: 12px; padding: 5px 10px;border: 1px solid #005687;border-radius: 4px;font-family: “proxima-nova”, sans-serif; }