Former Minneapolis Police officer Tou Thao a.k.a. Tou Thoa stood guard over fellow officer Derek Chauvin while he murdered George Floyd. Tou Thao was a 12 year veteran that had the authority and obligation to stop Chauvin. His culpability in this matter is a close second only to Chauvin himself. We say close second because we do not believe that Thao intended to kill Floyd, but that he knowingly allowed Chauvin to intentionally kill Floyd. Unlike the other officers, Thao was not a rookie, so he was in the best position to challenge Chauvin. Chauvin was a fellow veteran and Thao should have had enough experience to realize that Chauvin was doing something wrong. He also would be less likely to be viewed as questioning a superior officer due his status as a veteran. The rookies on the other hand were following the lead and commands of Chauvin and Thoa, so even though Thoa was not holding Floyd down, we believe he is more culpable than the rookies.
How culpable is Tou Thoa? We believe that he is an accessory to First Degree Murder and guilty of Third Degree murder under Minnesota statute 609.195 which states, "(a) Whoever, without intent to effect the death of any person, causes the death of another by perpetrating an act eminently dangerous to others and evincing a depraved mind, without regard for human life, is guilty of murder in the third degree and may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than 25 years." Thoa's act that was intentional and eminently dangerous to others was his intentional assistance of fellow officer Chauvin even after it was obvious that someone needed to stop Chauvin from kneeling on Floyd's neck. Unlike the other cops, Thao's veteran status put him in a position to directly challenge Chauvin without being seen as going outside the chain of command. He should have known better and chose to do nothing. To that end he intentionally helped Chauvin keep his knee on Floyd's neck and did not care about Floyd's well being at all. At least the rookies said things to Chauvin that should have been enough for Chauvin to stop and if he didn't should have been enough for Thao to step in. Thao appears to have been second in command, so how was it that the rookies knew something was wrong and Thao did not. How did it look to the rookies when both of their superiors were on the same page?
UPDATE: Tou Thao was charged with second degree murder on June 3, 2020.
The complaint listed the following last known home address:
1311 130th Lane NW
Coon Rapids, MN 55448
Learn more at https://copblaster.com/blast/25759/all-minneapolis-officers-now-arrested-for-george-floyds-murder