Thomas Kiernan Lane, 37, is one of the four former cops embroiled in the controversy surrounding the death of George Floyd, an African-American security guard. The former is a native of Minneapolis-Saint Paul, also known as the Twin Cities.
While Floyd’s family and friends are mourning, the relatives of the former cops are also suffering. A male relative of Lane told the Minnesota Star Tribune that the former cop is a “compassionate and amusing and insightful” person.
“We’re devastated,” the relative of Lane told the publication. “Our whole family feels terrible.”
“This isn’t him,” the relative said of Lane. “This isn’t what he worked all his life for.”
The relative described the fatal arrest as “just a terrible event” and said he feels bad for Floyd’s family. He went on to say that not all cops are bad and Lane is “being categorized now and he shouldn’t be.”
Some of Lane’s relatives also worked for the Minneapolis Police Department. In particular, his grandfather Donald M. Mealey, who died in 2008 at the age of 92, was a Minneapolis police detective.
The Minneapolis Police Department hired Lane on February 19, 2019. On May 25, 2020, he and three other cops namely J Alexander Kueng, 26, Derek Michael Chauvin, 44, and Tou Nmn Thao, 34, responded to a report from an employee at Cup Foods at 3759 Chicago Avenue in Minneapolis that a customer was trying to pay with a counterfeit $20 bill.
Matching the suspect’s descriptions, Floyd was arrested by Chauvin, Thao, Kueng and Lane. The encounter escalated quickly and it got to a point where Chauvin pinned Floyd on the ground with the arresting officer’s left knee on the arrestee’s neck.
“I can’t breathe,” Floyd pleaded. “I can’t move. My stomach hurts. My neck hurts. Everything hurts. Please. Please.”
Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck for a total of 8 minutes and 46 seconds. He and Kueng were holding the arrestee’s legs and back, respectively, while Thao was dealing with the bystanders.
“Should we roll him?” Lane asked at one point. Chauvin replied, “No, staying out where we got him.”
“Should we roll him on his side?” Lane asked again as he was concerned about excited delirium. Chauvin replied, “That’s why we have him on his stomach.”
Floyd was pronounced dead at the Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis. Shortly after his death, the Minneapolis Police Department terminated Chauvin, Thao, Kueng and Lane.
CONAN Daily 
Rubbish…Where was his compassion as they murdered an innocent man? I guess he saves it only for family members.
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he was black wasnt he
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IS THOMAS LANE A BLACK MAN?
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He sure looks like it to me. Why is the media leaving this out?
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He is white.
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I saw bios on wiki something and it listed him as White Caucasian… I don’t know how much stock is in it but it has many things listed about each of them – right down to wife or girl friend name if they have the information.
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Don’t know about Thomas Lane but the cop in the picture is African American. His name is J Alexander Hueng. He was on the back of Mr. Floyd right next to the murderer. I found another picture of him on google image and it’s clear as day. He even has a son with darker skin than him. A lot of false stories being pushed in the media.
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It don’t matter what color the other bitch is he deserve life just like the other 3 but if Floyd was white this would have not happened just like the murderer from UConn he killed people when he was put in custody did they kneel on his neck and hold him down no cause he was white. $20 please where the fake bill at. You haven’t said anything about. If that UConn student would have been black them biches would of shot him. I’m a Black Mother racist ass cops thinking they have a right to kill our kings cause they feel like it get the fuck out of here Rip Floyd God bless your family heart broken…
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I agree! Even though two of them are not caucasian it still doesn’t excuse the terrible act the one caucasian did.
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Two black cops murdered 6yo white child Jeremy Mardis back in 2015. Far more unarmed whites are killed by cops every year than blacks. Last year 9 blacks and 19 whites. Take your race baiting and shove it.
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There are only 13% of the population identify as black in the US…. the fact that they’re killed by cop stats are a little over half of what white people’s data showed and considering they make up 70% of US population, seems kinda fucked up yo have 280:550 (rough numbers from last year) Where is your evidence for these unarmed white people being killed by solely black cops? https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2020-06-03/data-show-deaths-from-police-violence-disproportionately-affect-people-of-color do some research before you talk out ya neck
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TURN YOURSELF IN HOW CAN YOU LIVE WITH ALL THESE RIOTS BECAUSE OF YOU AND THE OTHER TWO!!!!!
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They all deserve the same faith, they should have stood up for themselves. This man should get murder chargers as an officer who was to scared to say enough
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Why has this been turned into a manhunt and a racist incident. This about a police officer acting in line of duty in a country where guns are the norm. It’s not a racist attack it was one man detaining another for a criminal offence. I don’t believe this is the first fatality of a PERSON (no colour, a person), which is devastating but this police officer was dealing with his everyday incident. It feels almost racist against the officer.. otherwise why would race have been mentioned. This is my opinion which I’m entitled and some may not agree but I stand in support of the officer whom acted in his line of duty.
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[…] $20 bill. At 8:09 p.m., J Alexander and fellow Minneapolis Police Department rookie officer Thomas Kiernan Lane arrived and were told that the man was parked in a car around the corner from the store on 38th […]
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[…] $20 bill. At 8:09 p.m., J Alexander and fellow Minneapolis Police Department rookie officer Thomas Kiernan Lane arrived and were told that the man was parked in a car around the corner from the store on 38th […]
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