The tragic incident that took the life of George Floyd, an African American man happened just after 8 p.m. Monday, May 25, in the area of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue South. Police said a call to 911 was placed for a man who attempted to forge a check.
Minneapolis Mayor, Jacob Frey was emotional as he reacted to the death at a press conference: “Being Black in America should not be a death sentence. For five minutes, we watched as a White officer pressed his knee into the neck of a Black man. For five minutes.”
When you hear someone calling for help, you are supposed to help,” he continued, adding, “so officer failed in the most basic human sense.”
Frey also reacted after the 4 officers involved were fired.
Frey tweeted: “Four responding MPD officers involved in the death of George Floyd have been terminated. This is the right call.”
The 911 caller also reportedly mentioned the suspect was still in a nearby parking lot and seemed to be under the influence. When police responded, they saw George Floyd and attempted to arrest him.
“He was ordered to step from the car … after he got out he physically resisted officers … officers were able to get the suspect into handcuffs and the officers noticed the male was going into medical distress,” Minneapolis police spokesman John Elder said.
The man, who police say is in his 40s, was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center where he later died.
This is George Floyd. You are probably wondering why he is being choked to DEATH by this cop right here. Under not the crime, but the raised suspicion of forging a bad cheque at a grocery store. Not that it would have even mattered, this is clear cut police brutality! pic.twitter.com/LHTgwiP6LY
— ayub (@holygulag) May 26, 2020
However, a video making the rounds online shows that officers forcefully pinned George Floyd to the ground while one officer knelt on his neck for about five minutes as George begged for his life, saying: “I can’t breathe. My stomach hurts, my neck hurts, everywhere hurts.”
