George Floyd murder: Charged officer Thomas Lane requests public donations for defence

9 June 2020, 11:51 | Updated: 9 June 2020, 13:52

Thomas Lane's family sets up donation fund for his legal defence. Picture: Getty

Ex-police officer, Thomas Lane, is seeking public donations for his legal defence case following his murder charge for George Floyd's death.

One of the police officers, who have been charged for the murder of George Floyd, is currently seeking funds from the public for his legal defence.

George Floyd fund breaks record for most donations on a GoFundMe page

Thomas Lane, who was arrested alongside three other police officers, for George Floyd's murder, is seeking donation funds, to fight the case.

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According to TMZ, Lane's family directly set up a website page, asking for the public to donate money to support Lane's legal defence.

This came after Lane's bail was set at $1 Million dollars. If convicted, Lane will face a maximum sentence of up to 40 years in prison.

Former Minneapolis police officer Thomas Lane has been arrested and charged for George Floyd death. Picture: Getty

Through the families website, they have pleaded his case in a resume-like style, arguing that Lane did everything he had the power and authority to do to save George's life on May 25.

The family point out Lane suggested rolling Floyd on his side, which they and prosecutors claim Chauvin refused to do.

Lane's family reportedly claims Lane called for the ambulance prior to George losing consciousness.

They also claim that when the ambulance did arrive, Lane "did not hesitate to jump into the Ambulance where he started performing CPR to try and save George Floyd’s life."

A public memorial was held for George Floyd in his hometown of Houston (June 8th). Picture: Getty

According to TMZ, the family claim that the chain of command is the what stopped Lane from doing more.

The family also added that Lane was 4 days into the streets with his new job.

Thomas Lane, along with the 2 other ex-officers, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao, was arrested and charged with aiding and abetting 2nd-degree murder.

They were also charged with aiding and abetting 2nd-degree manslaughter.

Black Lives Matter Protests are happening worldwide following the death of George Floyd. Picture: Getty

However, Derek Chauvin, the man who was seen pushing his knee on Floyd's neck in the viral video, has been charged for three separate charges.

Chauvin has been charged with unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, for which the maximum prison penalties are 40, 25 and 10 years.

Judge Jeannice M Reding set a bail of $1.25m for Chauvin, with no preconditions.

An alternative would be a $1m with conditions that include Mr Chauvin not contacting Mr Floyd's family, surrendering his firearms and not working in law enforcement or security as he awaits trial.

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