Ex-officer pleads guilty to assaulting man during unrest in Minneapolis after murder of George Floyd

By STEVE KARNOWSKI
Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A former Minneapolis police officer has pleaded guilty to assaulting a man during the unrest that followed the murder of George Floyd by another officer in 2020. Justin Stetson’s guilty plea Wednesday to a felony charge of third-degree assault means he can never again work as a law enforcement officer in Minnesota. He also offered a written apology to Jaleel Stallings that included an acknowledgement that he participated in a harmful institutional culture of policing. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison called Stetson’s admission historic. But Stallings called the deal too lenient because it spares Stetson any prison time.