Tao Tao is a former Minneapolis police officer who is accused of killing George Floyd. George Floyd was an African American who died in a conflict in South Minneapolis on May 25, 2020. The video of the conflict with Floyd went viral on social media. In the video, Floyd was suffocated under the knee of white police officer Derek Chauvin, while Tao Tao knelt on George Floyd’s neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds with his back to Derek Chauvin. After George Floyd’s death, many demonstrations and protests broke out in more than 100 cities in the United States and around the world.
Protesters hold signs calling for justice for George Floyd’s death
Wiki/Biography
Tou Thao was born in 1986 (34 years old in 2020). He has been working since he was 14 years old. Tou first worked at McDonald’s, then at Cub Foods, and then as a security guard. He worked as a security guard while taking community college courses.
Family and Race
Tao Thao is a Hmong American, a Southeast Asian ethnic group that is mainly found in the Midwest and California. It is said that the Hmong immigrated here during the Vietnam War when Southeast Asian refugees were resettled in these two cities.
Profession
After completing community college, Tao joined the Minneapolis Police Department in 2009 as a community service officer. During this time, he was laid off for two years due to budget cuts. He later rejoined in 2012.
George Floyd’s Silent Killer
On May 25, 2020, around 8:08-8:28 p.m., Minneapolis police arrested George Floyd after they mistook him for someone trying to buy cigarettes with a counterfeit $20 bill at a Minneapolis store. A video of the arrest showed Floyd on the ground with his hands cuffed behind his back. Officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck while Floyd complained that he couldn’t breathe. Chauvin reportedly pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds while Tow stood guard and dispersed onlookers.
Chauvin and Thao approached George Floyd and handcuffed him after responding to a call from a grocery store that Floyd had used a counterfeit check on the evening of May 25, and when Floyd resisted arrest, they dragged him out of the car and pinned him to the ground. Kabuzuag Wai, who is Hmong American herself, is the founder of Freedom Inc., a nonprofit organization that aims to end violence against minorities, women and the LGBTQ community. Speaking about the disturbing and fatal encounter with George Floyd, she said:
Silence is betrayal. As far as Thao is concerned,[his] Silence actually kills a person.”
Arrest and release
On May 26, 2020, the police officers involved in the arrest and confrontation with George Floyd were suspended. Later that day, all four officers (Derrick Michael Chauvin, Tou Thao, Thomas K. Lane, and J. Alexander Kueng) were fired. On the same day, the FBI announced an investigation into the matter.
On May 28, 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice and the FBI issued a joint statement, making the investigation of Floyd’s death a “top priority.” They stated in the statement,
A full investigation compiles all available information and thoroughly evaluates evidence and information obtained from witnesses…If it is determined that federal law was violated, criminal charges will be filed.”
On May 29, 2020, Derek Chauvin became the first white police officer in Minnesota to be arrested for the death of a black civilian. Chauvin was charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Thao was arrested on June 3, 2020. Thao was charged with aiding and abetting unintentional second-degree murder, and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter, and creating an unreasonable risk by negligence. On June 29, all four men (Derrick Michael Chauvin, Thao, Thomas K. Lane, and J. Alexander Kueng) appeared in court.
Officer charged in George Floyd killing
Hennepin County District Court Judge Peter A. Cahill set the next hearing for September 11, 2020, with a trial date of March 8, 2021. On July 4, 2020, Tou Thao was released from the Hennepin County Jail on a “bail and conditional release.” Tou Thao’s bail was set at $1 million (unconditional) or $750,000 (conditional). With Tou Thao’s release, three of the four former Minneapolis police officers facing charges in the fatal confrontation with George Floyd have been released. Only Derek Chauvin remains in jail, and his bail is set at $1.25 million.
Other disputes
- Before Tou Thao was charged in George Floyd’s murder, the Minneapolis Police Department’s Internal Affairs Division had registered six civil complaints against him, including one for aggravated battery of a black man.
- The lawsuit against Tou Thao and another officer, Robert Thunder, who beat plaintiff Lamar Ferguson with their fists and feet, causing broken teeth, bruises and trauma, was later settled out of court for $25,000.
Facts/Trivia
- Since Tou immigrated to the United States, the Hmong American community has lost nearly a quarter of its men and boys to wars fought on behalf of the United States.
- In 2006, 19-year-old Hmong boy Li Fang was shot and killed by a white Minneapolis police officer, just like George Floyd was killed. Tao Thao, a Hmong American, was also implicated in George’s death, which sparked a discussion in the United States about how to deal with anti-black issues in the Asian community.
- Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo spoke to the media about the four officers involved in the fatal clash of George Floyd.
Mr. Floyd died at our hands, so I think that’s complicity. Silence and inaction — you’re complicit. You’re complicit. If there’s one lone voice that intervenes … that’s what I’m hoping for.”
- Speaking about the decision to fire all four officers, Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo said:
There are absolute truths in life… The killing of Mr. Floyd is an absolute truth, and it was wrong. I don’t need days, weeks, months, process, or bureaucracy to tell me that what happened here last Monday was wrong.”
- Tao Tao reportedly could be sentenced to up to 25 years in prison for third-degree murder and up to 10 years in prison for second-degree manslaughter for his involvement in the death of George Floyd.
- There are reports that Derek Chauvin’s wife Kelly Chauvin is Tu Thao’s sister. Amanda Mason-Sekula, the lawyer who is handling Derek Chauvin and Kelly Chauvin’s divorce, said:
Tou Thao is not Ms. Chauvin’s brother. I would appreciate any help in putting these rumors to rest.”
Derek Chauvin’s wife Carrie Chauvin
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education