It’s been over five years since the world watched those agonizing cell phone videos from 38th and Chicago. Most of the headlines since then have focused on Derek Chauvin—his sentencing, his move to a high-security federal facility, and the news of him being stabbed in prison back in 2023. But for a lot of people, there’s a lingering question that pops up every time the case is mentioned: where are the other 3 officers now?
Honestly, the answer has changed a lot in just the last year. If you haven't been keeping a close eye on the Minnesota Department of Corrections or federal inmate rosters, you might have missed the fact that the prison doors have already opened for most of them. Unlike Chauvin, who is looking at a release date somewhere in the late 2030s, the "other three"—Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng, and Tou Thao—had much shorter paths back to society.
Basically, as of early 2026, the physical landscape of this case has shifted from prison cells to supervised release. Here is the reality of where these men are today and what their "freedom" actually looks like.
The First One Out: Thomas Lane’s Quiet Return
Thomas Lane was always the outlier in the group. He was the rookie on his fourth day on the job. He was the one who actually asked Chauvin twice if they should roll George Floyd onto his side. Because of those factors, he received the lightest sentences of the bunch: 2.5 years on federal civil rights charges and 3 years for state manslaughter.
If you’re wondering where are the other 3 officers now and looking for the one who has been out the longest, it's Lane. He was released from a federal prison in Littleton, Colorado, on August 20, 2024.
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He didn't just walk away into the sunset, though. Lane’s transition was handled through an interstate agreement, meaning he moved to Wisconsin to serve his supervised release. His official sentence expired in August 2025. Today, Lane is a private citizen. He’s 42 years old, likely trying to maintain a low profile in a world where his face is permanently etched into one of the most famous police videos in history. He can’t return to law enforcement—that bridge is burned forever—but he is the only one of the four who is completely done with the correctional system.
J. Alexander Kueng: From Ohio to Supervised Release
J. Alexander Kueng, another rookie at the scene, had a slightly longer road than Lane. He was the officer who pinned Floyd’s back while Lane held his legs. Kueng’s legal journey was a mix of federal and state time, eventually landing him a three-year federal sentence and a 3.5-year state sentence, served concurrently.
Kueng spent his time at a low-security federal prison in Lisbon, Ohio. He was released on January 15, 2025.
Right now, Kueng is in a sort of legal limbo called "supervised release." In Minnesota, most inmates serve two-thirds of their time behind bars and the final third on supervision. For Kueng, that supervision period is scheduled to last until March 2026. He’s 32 years old now. Unlike Lane, who showed some level of hesitation during the incident, Kueng’s silence at the scene was a major point for the prosecution. Since his release, he’s stayed entirely out of the spotlight. No interviews, no "tell-all" books. Just a guy on a supervised release plan trying to figure out what a 30-something ex-con does after being part of a global catalyst for social change.
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Tou Thao: The Last of the Three to Leave
Tou Thao was the officer standing between the crowd and the restraint, famously telling bystanders, "This is why you don't do drugs, kids." He was also the most defiant during the legal process. While Lane and Kueng took plea deals on the state charges to avoid more time, Thao opted for a "trial by stipulated evidence." He let a judge decide his fate based on written records.
It didn't go well for him. Judge Peter Cahill gave him 57 months (4.75 years), which was actually more than the prosecutors even asked for.
So, where are the other 3 officers now when it comes to Thao? He was the final one of the three to be released, walking out of a federal facility in Lexington, Kentucky, on November 3, 2025.
Thao is currently under supervised probation with Anoka County Community Corrections in Minnesota. His attorney, Robert Paule, told the media after his release that Thao is "happy to be back with his family." But he has a long leash attached to him; his supervised release doesn't officially end until June 2027. Of the three, Thao remains the most vocal about his conviction, often leaning on his religious faith and maintaining that he did nothing wrong.
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Life on the Outside: The Reality of "Supervised Release"
It’s easy to hear the word "released" and think these guys are just back to normal life. It’s not that simple. Being on supervised release in a case this high-profile is its own kind of prison.
- Employment: They are essentially unemployable in any public-facing role. Their names trigger immediate "do not hire" flags in most corporate HR systems.
- Security: There are legitimate concerns about their safety. When Lane was first sent to prison, the Bureau of Prisons didn't even send him to the camp they originally planned because they were worried about him being targeted.
- Restrictions: They have to report to agents, they can’t travel freely, and they certainly can’t own firearms.
The "other three" are living lives defined by anonymity. They are likely working blue-collar jobs under different names or living off the support of family.
What This Means for the Legal Legacy
The release of Thao in late 2025 marked a symbolic end to the incarceration phase for the secondary officers. While Derek Chauvin remains at the Federal Correctional Institution in Tucson (or wherever the BOP moves him for safety), the men who "stood by" have served the time the law deemed appropriate for their level of culpability.
The courts essentially decided that while they weren't the "knee on the neck," their failure to intervene was a criminal violation of George Floyd's rights. Their release doesn't mean the world has forgotten, but it does mean the legal system has finished its primary work with them.
If you are looking for actionable insights on how this affects current policing or public record, keep these points in mind:
- Duty to Intervene: Many states, including Minnesota, have now codified the "duty to intervene" into law, largely because of what these three officers didn't do.
- Public Records: You can still track the status of those on supervised release through the Minnesota Department of Corrections "search for an offender" tool, though their physical addresses are rarely public for safety reasons.
- Civil Suits: While their criminal time is ending, civil implications often follow former officers for years, though most of the major settlements in this case have already been reached.
The story of the "other three" is no longer about courtrooms and handcuffs; it's about the quiet, difficult process of reintegration for three men who will forever be the "other" faces of a tragedy.