An African-American man has died in Minneapolis following his arrest, which saw a white police officer place his knee on his neck "for five minutes".
The incident took place on Monday when police officers were alerted that an unidentified man in his 40s was under the influence, CBS reports. After locating the man in his car, the two officers said he "physically resisted" arrested.
A full news report on the incident can be seen below:
A Minneapolis police spokesman said in a news briefing early on Tuesday: "Officers were able to get the suspect into handcuffs and realized that the suspect was suffering a medical distress. Officers called for an ambulance. He was transported to Hennepin County Medical Center where he died a short time later."
However, footage of the incident captured by a passerby revealed another side of the story.
The woman who captured the footage, Darnella Frazier, wrote on Facebook: "They killed him right in front of cup foods over south on 38th and Chicago!! No type of sympathy #POLICEBRUTALITY."
*We will not be sharing the video, but it can be found on Miss Frazier's Facebook page HERE*
The footage shows the man being restrained on the ground and handcuffed, while the white officer kneels on his neck.
The African-American man cries out, "Please, I can't breathe" - but the officer doesn't move, despite the man being in distress, as another officer watches on without intervening.
As he continues, a passerby screams, "That's bulls***, bro. You're stopping his breathing right there, bro. Get him off the ground, bro," adding the officer was "enjoying it".
The man then becomes motionless. It's at this point that he is taken to a hospital where he later died.
In response to the incident, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey gave an emotional address last night, describing what he saw as "messed up" and explaining that "this man's life matters".
Watch Mayor Jacob Frey's emotional response below:
According to CBS and Washington Post, the FBI is now investigating the incident, and the two officers, whose bodycams were switched on during the incident, have been placed on administrative leave.
In a statement to KARE, Minneapolis City Councilwoman Andrea Jenkins said: "Our community continues to be traumatized again, and again and again. We must demand answers."
Yesterday, we reported that the FBI was investigating the death of a black man after a white police officer was recorded kneeling on his neck "for five minutes" during an arrest.
Today, per CNN, it has been revealed that four Minneapolis police officers have been fired in connection with the case.
Protestors gather outside the house of one of the officers:
The incident took place on Monday when officers were alerted that a man in his 40s - who has since been identified as 46-year-old George Floyd - was under the influence, CBS reported.
After locating the man in his car, the two officers said he "physically resisted" arrested.
A Minneapolis police spokesman said in a news briefing early on Tuesday: "Officers were able to get the suspect into handcuffs and realized that the suspect was suffering medical distress. Officers called for an ambulance. He was transported to Hennepin County Medical Center where he died a short time later."
However, footage of the incident captured by a bystander was later circulated on social media, causing uproar across the nation.
The woman who captured the footage, Darnella Frazier, wrote on Facebook: "They killed him right in front of cup foods over south on 38th and Chicago!! No type of sympathy #POLICEBRUTALITY."
*We will not be sharing the video, but it can be found on Miss Frazier's Facebook page HERE*
The footage shows Floyd being restrained on the ground and handcuffed, as a white officer presses his knee onto his neck.
Floyd can then be heard crying out: "Please, I can't breathe." Despite Floyd's pleads, the officer did not move. Another officer can be seen watching on without intervening.
As he continues, a passerby screams, "That's bulls**t, bro. You're stopping his breathing right there, bro. Get him off the ground, bro," adding that the officer was "enjoying it".
Floyd then becomes motionless.
After several minutes, paramedics arrived on the scene, but George Floyd was sadly pronounced dead later that day.
[[imagecaption|| Credit: PA Images]]
Civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump - who identified the man as George Floyd - confirmed in a statement that he was representing his family. Crump added:
"We all watched the horrific death of George Floyd on video as witnesses begged the police officer to take him into the police car and get off his neck.
"This abusive, excessive, and inhumane use of force cost the life of a man who was being detained by the police for questioning about a non-violent charge."
On Tuesday evening, protesters - many of them wearing face masks - held "I can't breathe" signs and chanted together near the site of Monday's incident. Several motorists drove by, honking their horns in support.
Later in the evening, police attempted to disperse the crowds outside the Minneapolis Police 3rd Precinct after a glass window was smashed, John Elder, director of the office of public information for the police department, told CNN.
Police spokesperson Officer Garrett Parten has since confirmed that the four officers involved in Floyd's arrest have been "separated from employment".
In a statement about police Chief Medaria Arradondo's decision to fire the officers, Mayor Jacob Frey said:
"I support your decisions, one hundred percent. It is the right decision for our city. The right decision for our community, it is the right decision for the Minneapolis Police Department."
In a press conference early on Tuesday, Frey offered his condolences to Floyd's family, adding that "what we saw [in the video] was horrible, completely and utterly messed up".
Watch Mayor Jacob Frey's emotional response below:
"For five minutes, we watched as a white officer pressed his knee to the neck of a black man," Frey told reporters.
"When you hear someone calling for help, you are supposed to help. This officer failed in the most basic human sense. What happened on Chicago and 38th this last night is simply awful. It was traumatic and it serves as a clear reminder of just how far we have to go."
"Being black in America," Frey said, should not be "a death sentence."
In a statement to KARE, Minneapolis City Councilwoman Andrea Jenkins said: "Our community continues to be traumatized again, and again and again. We must demand answers."
Two new videos of the arrest of George Floyd have surfaced showing the moment cops wrestled him out of a car and onto the ground.
Yesterday, we reported that the FBI was investigating the death of a black man after a white police officer was recorded kneeling on his neck "for five minutes" during an arrest.
The incident took place on Monday when officers were alerted that a man in his 40s - who has since been identified as 46-year-old George Floyd - was under the influence, CBS reported.
After locating the man in his car, the two officers said he "physically resisted" arrested.
A Minneapolis police spokesman said in a news briefing early on Tuesday: "Officers were able to get the suspect into handcuffs and realized that the suspect was suffering medical distress. Officers called for an ambulance. He was transported to Hennepin County Medical Center where he died a short time later."
Fox9 News reporter Alex Lehnert shared the first video to Twitter earlier today, along with the caption:
"New video sent to us shows the moment George Floyd was removed from his vehicle and handcuffed on 38th and Chicago. Video courtesy of Christopher Belfrey."
In the video above was obtained by Fox9News, and was recorded in a parked car behind the vehicle Floyd was sitting in.
In the footage, two police officers can be seen struggling to remove Floyd from the driver's side of a vehicle.
A second video, captured by the surveillance cameras of a nearby restaurant and later obtained by CBS News, shows part of the altercation between Floyd and the officers on the scene.
The video was later uploaded to Twitter by the account @sn00pdad, who wrote alongside it:
"Video shows what appears to be the start of the confrontation between #GeorgeFloyd and #Minneapolis #police officers. A restaurant's security footage shows cops taking him into custody, but the restaurant owner says it does not show Floyd resisting #Arrest"
Yesterday, different footage from the incident captured by a bystander was circulated on social media, causing uproar across the nation.
The woman who captured the footage, Darnella Frazier, wrote on Facebook: "They killed him right in front of cup foods over south on 38th and Chicago!! No type of sympathy #POLICEBRUTALITY."
*We will not be sharing the video, but it can be found on Miss Frazier's Facebook page HERE*
The footage shows Floyd being restrained on the ground and handcuffed, as a white officer presses his knee onto his neck.
Floyd can then be heard crying out: "Please, I can't breathe." Despite Floyd's pleads, the officer did not move. Another officer can be seen watching on without intervening.
As he continues, a passerby screams, "That's bulls**t, bro. You're stopping his breathing right there, bro. Get him off the ground, bro," adding that the officer was "enjoying it".
Floyd then becomes motionless.
After several minutes, paramedics arrived on the scene, but George Floyd was sadly pronounced dead later that day.
[[imagecaption|| Credit: PA Images]]
Civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump - who identified the man as George Floyd - confirmed in a statement that he was representing his family. Crump added:
"We all watched the horrific death of George Floyd on video as witnesses begged the police officer to take him into the police car and get off his neck.
"This abusive, excessive, and inhumane use of force cost the life of a man who was being detained by the police for questioning about a non-violent charge."
On Tuesday evening, protesters - many of them wearing face masks - held "I can't breathe" signs and chanted together near the site of Monday's incident. Several motorists drove by, honking their horns in support.
Later in the evening, police attempted to disperse the crowds outside the Minneapolis Police 3rd Precinct after a glass window was smashed, John Elder, director of the office of public information for the police department, told CNN.
Today, per CNN, it was been revealed that four Minneapolis police officers have been fired in connection with the case.
Police spokesperson Officer Garrett Parten has since confirmed that the four officers involved in Floyd's arrest have been "separated from employment".
Protestors gather outside the house of one of the officers:
In a statement about police Chief Medaria Arradondo's decision to fire the officers, Mayor Jacob Frey said:
"I support your decisions, one hundred percent. It is the right decision for our city. The right decision for our community, it is the right decision for the Minneapolis Police Department."
In a press conference early on Tuesday, Frey offered his condolences to Floyd's family, adding that "what we saw [in the video] was horrible, completely and utterly messed up".
Watch Mayor Jacob Frey's emotional response below:
"For five minutes, we watched as a white officer pressed his knee to the neck of a black man," Frey told reporters.
"When you hear someone calling for help, you are supposed to help. This officer failed in the most basic human sense. What happened on Chicago and 38th this last night is simply awful. It was traumatic and it serves as a clear reminder of just how far we have to go."
"Being black in America," Frey said, should not be "a death sentence."
In a statement to KARE, Minneapolis City Councilwoman Andrea Jenkins said: "Our community continues to be traumatized again, and again and again. We must demand answers."
Today marks one week since the death of 46-year-old George Floyd, a black man who died shortly after being restrained and arrested by Minneapolis police in the neighborhood of Powderhorn.
Video footage of Floyd's death showed former police officer Derek Chauvin holding his knee on Floyd's neck for a total of nearly nine minutes, and per state charging documents, bodycam footage also showed that Chauvin kept his knee on Floyd's neck for two minutes and 43 seconds after Floyd had become non-responsive.
Floyd's death sparked widespread protests and riots across the US and in major cities around the world, as people marched for justice, an end to police brutality, and for the discrimination against black people to finally stop.
Today, footage has emerged online of showing a Seattle police officer removing his colleague's knee from a man's neck during an arrest.
The incident occurred on Saturday night, May 30, as protestors took to the streets of Seattle.
The footage was shared to Instagram by photographer Matt M. McKnight, who wrote alongside it:
"SPD officer uses knee-to-neck tactic while arresting multiple looters
"Last night around 10pm in Seattle looters had entered a T-Mobile store in downtown Seattle. When Seattle Police Department officers arrived the group attempted to escape without being captured. In this video, one officer decided to use a knee-on-neck tactic with the first looter he captured, and then diverted to use it again on yet another when the person tried to make a run for it.
"It was only when the crowd started screaming at the officers to stop that his colleague then moved the officer’s knee off his neck and onto his back before they carried him off to arrest."
In the video, officers can be seen responding to reports of an alleged looting at a T-Mobile store.
When law enforcement arrives, people can be seen attempting to flee the scene, with officers tackling several of them to the ground and restraining them.
An officer can be seen tackling a white man in an orange hoodie to the ground, as another officer runs over and applies the "knee-to-neck tactic" to hold the man down.
People can then be heard screaming: "Take your f**king knee off his neck" and "Get your knee off his neck!"
After roughly 12 seconds, the other arresting officer appears to grab his colleague's leg and lift it off the man’s neck.
[[imagecaption|| A text message sent to the residents of Seattle by the city government on a Sunday evening. Credit: PA Images]]
On Friday it was revealed that Derek Chauvin, the fired police officer recorded kneeling on George Floyd's neck, had been detained and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter.
The 19-year veteran was arrested by the state’s bureau of criminal apprehension.
Hennepin County attorney Mike Freeman revealed in a statement: "We are in the process of continuing to review the evidence. There may be additional charges later."
Floyd's family has since released a statement calling Chauvin's arrest a "welcome but overdue step on the road to justice” and added that members “expected a first-degree murder charge" - which they still demand.
"The pain that the black community feels over this murder and what it reflects about the treatment of black people in America is raw and spilling out on to streets across [the country]," the statement added.
The statement concluded by saying:
"Today, George Floyd's family is having to explain to his children why their father was executed by police on video. It's essential that the City closely examines and changes its policing policies and training procedures to correct for the lack of proper field supervision; the use of appropriate, non-lethal restraint techniques; the ability to recognize medical signs associated with the restriction of airflow, and the legal duty to seek emergency medical care and stop a civil rights violation."
Under Minnesota law, a first-degree murder charge would require prosecutors to prove Chauvin’s actions were willful and premeditated.
Minneapolis Mayor, Jacob Frey, has called for the arrest of the police officer who knelt on George Floyd's neck, an incident that was captured on video, and resulted in his death.
Floyd, an African-American man, was arrested by Minneapolis police on Monday, May 25th, for reportedly using a counterfeit $20 note in a store. While being detained, officer Derek Chauvin - a 19 year veteran of the force - knelt on his neck for a number of minutes, which resulted in Floyd losing consciousness, and later passing away.
All four police officials involved, including Chauvin, have been fired from their positions - something Frey deemed to be the "right call" - however, the Mayor is now calling for those involved in Floyd's death to be charged with murder.
Speaking at a press conference yesterday, Frey asserted;
"Why is the man who killed George Floyd not in jail? If you had done it or I had done it, we would be behind bars right now, and I cannot come up with a good answer to that question.
I’m calling on the Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman to act on the evidence before him. I’m calling on him to charge the arresting officer in this case. We cannot turn a blind eye. It is on us as leaders to see this as it is and call it what it is."
[[imagecaption|| Credit: PA]]
Floyd's sister, Bridgett, told NBC's Today on Wednesday that her family wants all four officers to be arrested and charged with murder.
"Me and my family are taking this very, very hard. It’s very heartbreaking, it’s very disturbing," she said. "I would like for these officers to be charged with murder, because that’s exactly what they did. They murdered my brother. He was crying for help."
The death of Floyd prompted huge protests in Minneapolis on Tuesday night. However, these peaceful demonstrations did not transpire without incident, as police in riot gear proceeded to fire teargas and rubber bullets into the crowd, per The Guardian.
On Wednesday, protestors continued to gather at the scene of the altercation.
[[imagecaption|| Credit: PA]]
Yesterday evening, President Donald Trump took to Twitter to denounce Floyd's death as "very sad and tragic".
"At my request, the FBI and the Department of Justice are already well into an investigation as to the very sad and tragic death in Minnesota of George Floyd,” he wrote. "I have asked for this investigation to be expedited and greatly appreciate all of the work done by local law enforcement."
Floyd was arrested on suspicion of attempted forgery after it was alleged that he tried to use a counterfeit $20 bill, but after the police's actions, he later died.
Take a look at the officers involved in George Floyd's arrest:
The National Guard has now been called into the city in a bid to regain control of the situation and 500 officers are on their way to the scene of the riots.
The actions of the rioters have been condemned by the lawyer for Floyd's family, Ben Crump.
"We don't need that. We need people focused on getting justice," he said.
The riots haven't been isolated to Minneapolis either, and similar incidents have taken place in other US cities including Los Angeles, Denver, and Tennessee.
[[imagecaption|| Credit: PA Images]]
As it stands, all four officers involved in Floyd's death have been dismissed from the Minneapolis Police Department, but there are widespread calls for them to receive criminal charges.
Floyd's brother Philonise said in an interview with CNN that he wants those involved to receive the death penalty.
Per Fox News, he said: "These officers, they need to be arrested right now. They need to be arrested and held accountable about everything because these people want justice right now. These guys need to be arrested, convicted of murder, and given the death penalty.
"People are torn and hurt because they're tired of seeing black men die constantly, over and over again. They took my brother's life. He will never get that back. I will never see him again. My family will never see him again."
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