Second former police officer convicted in George Floyd's murder is released from prison

Paul Walsh and Nicole Norfleet, Star Tribune on Jan 15, 2025

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MINNEAPOLIS — The second of four former Minneapolis police officers convicted in U.S. and state courts for the murder of George Floyd more than 4½ years ago has been released from prison.

J. Alexander Kueng, 31, left the low-security federal prison in Lisbon, Ohio, on Wednesday morning. Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) spokesman Donald Murphy confirmed the release to the Minnesota Star Tribune.

Kueng is now on supervised release until March 2026 in connection with his sentence in Hennepin County District Court.

Floyd, who was Black, died while pinned under the knee of officer Derek Chauvin, who is white, at the corner of Chicago Avenue S. and E. 38th Street in south Minneapolis in May 2020. Floyd’s death ignited days of protests and at times deadly and destructive riots.

Chauvin was convicted in Hennepin County District Court in 2021 of second-degree murder and manslaughter. He later pleaded guilty to federal charges for violating Floyd’s civil rights and is serving a 20-year prison term concurrent with his 22-year state sentence. He’s due to be released from prison in November 2037, according to BOP records.

Former officer Thomas Lane, who held Floyd’s legs, was released from prison last summer. Former officer Tou Thao, who kept back bystanders as Floyd was restrained, remains imprisoned. He is scheduled to be released in November.

Kueng also knelt on Floyd’s back during the arrest. He was sentenced at the state level to 3½ years for aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter, which was served concurrently with a three-year federal sentence he received for violating Floyd’s civil rights.

Kueng was in his third day on the job when Floyd was killed. He received his law enforcement license in August 2019.

He was captain of the varsity soccer team at Patrick Henry High School in Minneapolis, where he graduated in 2012. He also played for the Cruz Azul Minnesota soccer club, according to a recruiting website. Kueng’s personnel file shows he attended the University of Minnesota and Minneapolis Community and Technical College.

Kueng’s employment history includes a job as a security monitor at the University of Minnesota and working in loss prevention at Macy’s. He also worked at Target, and coached youth baseball and soccer at the Brooklyn Center Community Center.

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