Prosecutors drop appeals against 2 ex-cops in Floyd case

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A federal appeals court has accepted the government’s request to drop appeals of the sentences of two former Minneapolis police officers convicted of civil rights violations in the murder of George Floyd. The case filings Wednesday for ex-officers J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao gave few details. A federal judge in July sentenced Kueng to three years in prison and Thao to 3 1/2 years — less than what prosecutors sought. Floyd, who was Black, died in 2020 after former Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, who is white, pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck for 9 1/2 minutes. Kueng helped restrain Floyd while Thao held back bystanders.