Former MPD officer Thomas Lane released from federal prison
File photo of Thomas Lane. (Supplied)
(FOX 9) - Former Minneapolis police officer Thomas Lane, who was convicted for his role in George Floyd's murder, was released from prison on Tuesday after completing his state and federal sentences.
Why Lane was in prison
Lane was one of the four Minneapolis police officers charged in connection with Floyd’s murder.
It was Lane's fourth day on the job when he held down Floyd’s legs while former officer Dereck Chauvin kneeled on his neck.
A federal jury found Lane guilty of depriving Floyd of his civil rights for not providing him with medical care, and he was sentenced to 2.5 years at Englewood Federal Prison in Littleton, Colorado.
He later pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter on state charges and was sentenced to three years, which was to be served at the same time as his federal sentence.
Prison release
Lane is the first of the former officers to be released.
He finished his federal sentence in April but still had to complete the remaining state sentence, which was served in federal prison.
Federal Bureau of Prisons spokesperson Randilee Giamusso confirmed with FOX 9 that he is no longer in custody as of Tuesday morning.
What’s next?
Once Lane is released, he still has to serve one year of probation.
Two other former officers involved, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao, are set to be released in April 2025. Chauvin is not expected to be released from prison until 2038.