George Floyd was a 46-year-old security guard who worked at Conga Latin Bistro in Minneapolis. On Monday, the Minneapolis Police made an attempt to arrest George Floyd. The police received a forgery call involving a suspect, and that suspect “appeared to be under the influence.” Therefore, the department officers issued a statement about the incident. The statement reveals that the officers found George Floyd in his car and they asked him to step out.
George Floyd: Police Statement
“After he got out, he physically resisted officers,” continued the statement. “Officers were able to get the suspect into handcuffs and noted he appeared to be suffering medical distress. Officers called for an ambulance. He was transported to Hennepin County Medical Center by ambulance, where he died a short time later. At no time were weapons of any type used by anyone involved in this incident.”
The video shows an officer holding his knee to George Floyd’s neck. Identification revealed the police officer’s name as Derek Chauvin.
On Tuesday, the Police Department fired Chauvin and 3 other officers because of their involvement in the incident, said the officials.
Four responding MPD officers involved in the death of George Floyd have been terminated.
This is the right call.
— Mayor Jacob Frey (@MayorFrey) May 26, 2020
After that, state and federal authorities have initiated an investigation for the incident. In addition, The Minneapolis Police Department is conducting an internal investigation of the matter, as reported by AP.
George Floyd: Comments from George’s family’s attorney
George Floyd’s family’s attorney, Ben Crump, likened George’s death to Eric Garner’s. Eric Garner died on Jul 14, 2014 because the New York City police choked Garner resulting in his death. Video of Eric Garner’s incident shows him pleading for air while the police officers ignore him and continue choking. Similarly, video of George Floyd shows that an officer placed his knee on George’s neck for 9 minutes.
Watch our full interview with Bridgett Floyd, the sister of George Floyd, who died after being pinned to the ground by a Minneapolis police officer. She joins us with attorney Ben Crump to talk about why she believes the officers involved should face murder charges. pic.twitter.com/t28gQhCrNk
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) May 27, 2020
“It’s an ‘I can’t breathe’ again case in 2020, and it’s worse than Eric Garner in many ways because you hear the people even pleading with them, ‘Please get your knee off his neck. Have some humanity. This is a human being,’” said Crump.