J. Alexander Keung was arrested and charged with aiding and abetting murder and manslaughter in the May 25 killing of George Floyd. In court docs filed Monday, June 29, it was revealed that the former police officer will argue self-defense.  

According to NBC News, Keung, 26, will plead not guilty and “will argue he acted in self-defense and used reasonable, authorized force to detain Floyd.” It’s not clear how his attorney will argue or prove self-defense nor how the other three officers will plead.

Hennepin County District Judge Peter Cahill hasn’t decided if the four officers will be tried jointly or separately. 

RELATED: Officer Who Kneeled On George Floyd’s Neck Blamed For Death By Other Two Officer

On May 29, Derek Chauvin, the man who had his knee in Floyd’s neck for eight minutes, was fired from the Minneapolis Police Department and arrested on third-degree murder and manslaughter charges. On June 3, his charges were upgraded to second-degree murder by the state’s Attorney General Keith Ellison. 

Thomas Lane, 37, Tou Thao, 34,  and Keung were also arrested and charged with aiding and abetting on June 3.

Keung, who is currently out on bail, joined the Minneapolis Police Department in December 2019 but May 25 was only his third full shift as a police officer.

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