Donald Trump calls death of George Floyd after white cop knelt on his neck ‘a very sad event’ and reveals he will be briefed on it on Thursday
- President Donald Trump called the death of George Floyd a ‘very sad event’
- He declined to say if the police officers involved should be charged
- Said he would get a briefing on the incident Thursday
- Mayor Jacob Frey has called for officer Derek Chauvin to be arrested and charged for his role in Floyd’s death
- The four cops fired after Monday’s incident have been officially identified as Derek Chauvin, Thomas Lane, Tou Thao, and J Alexander Kueng
- Footage has emerged showing the moment George Floyd was pulled from his car and placed in handcuffs
- Two officers are seen wrestling with the 46-year-old as they forcibly remove him and attempt to restrain him
- Separate CCTV footage from a restaurant also shows a handcuffed Floyd being escorted to the squad car
- It comes after Minneapolis Police Department said Floyd died on Monday after suffering ‘medical distress’
- Spokesperson said officers had responded to a reports of ‘forgery’ and claimed Floyd resisted arrest
- It has since emerged Chauvin was investigated for his role in the shooting of Ira Latrell Toles in 2008
- Chaos erupted at a Minneapolis protest Tuesday night over George Floyd’s death
President Donald Trump called the death of George Floyd, the Minnesota black man who died in custody when a white police officer kneeled on his neck, a ‘very sad event.’
‘A very sad event, a very, very sad, sad event,’ the president told reporters Wednesday when he was in Cape Canaveral.
He declined to answer a question on whether the officers involved should be charged and said he was getting a report on the incident Thursday.
‘We’re going to look at it and we’re going to get a report tomorrow when we get back. We’re going to get a full report but a very sad day,’ he said.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has called on prosecutors to arrest and charge the white police officer who was filmed kneeling on Floyd’s neck moments before he died in custody.
City officials on Wednesday formally identified the four fired police officers involved in Monday’s incident as Derek Chauvin, Thomas Lane, Tou Thao, and J Alexander Kueng.
The cops, who were initially placed on paid administrative leave, were terminated from the Minneapolis Police Department on Tuesday after footage of Floyd’s arrest and subsequent death was widely shared on social media.
Mayor Frey, who said firing the cops was the ‘right call’, has since called for Chauvin to be formally arrested and charged over his role in the incident that has sparked national calls for justice.
‘If most people, particularly people of color, had done what a police officer did late Monday, they’d already be behind bars,’ Frey said in a tweet on Wednesday.
‘That’s why today I’m calling on Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman to charge the arresting officer in this case.’
Chauvin had been earlier identified by Floyd family attorney Ben Crump as the officer who pinned Floyd to the ground in a video of his arrest. Footage showed him digging his knee into Floyd’s neck as he repeatedly pleaded that he could not breathe.
Mayor Jacob Frey has called for the white officer who knelt on Floyd’s neck to be criminally charged on Wednesday. Derek Chauvin (pictured) was seen pinning him down in video footage that was widely shared on Tuesday
CCTV footage from a nearby restaurant shows part of the altercation between Floyd and the officers on the scene. A handcuffed Floyd sits on the ground as a police officer, who was not seen in the original viral video, speaks to him before picking him up and holding him against the wall
Video footage shows the moment George Floyd was pulled from his car by officers during his arrest, moments before he lost consciousness after a white officer knelt on his neck for several minutes
The four fired police officers involved in Monday’s incident have been identified as Derek Chauvin, Thomas Lane, Tou Thao, and J Alexander Kueng
Speaking at a press conference in Minneapolis, Mayor Frey said he has spent the last 36 hours wrestling with one ‘fundamental’ question asking: ‘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 an answer to that question,’ he added.
Floyd, 46, died in hospital shortly after his confrontation with police, which is now under investigation by the FBI and has prompted thousands of protesters to take to the streets to demand justice.
Cops were reported to have located Floyd, who was suspected of forgery, in his car around 8pm before ordering him to exit the vehicle, according to a police statement. A spokesman alleged Floyd got out of the car before ‘physically resisting officers’.
However, new video footage, obtained by FOX 9 on Wednesday, shed light on the moments leading up to Floyd’s arrest, showing two officers manhandling and forcibly removing him from his car as he is placed in handcuffs outside the Cup Foods grocery store on 38th and Chicago Ave in south Minneapolis.
Floyd appears to be complying with officers and not resisting arrest before an altercation ensues.
Additional CCTV footage obtained by CBS News from a nearby restaurant also showed parts of the altercation between Floyd and officers on the sidewalk.
It comes after:
- A 10-minute video was widely shared on social media on Tuesday showing white officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck for eight minutes as he pleads to be released before eventually losing consciousness
- Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Minneapolis later that night demanding justice for the 46-year-old, leading to confrontations with police officers firing rubber bullets
- Four Minneapolis police officers involved in Floyd’s arrest were fired on Tuesday after initially being placed on paid administrative leave
- Floyd’s family broke their silence on his death publicly demanding the cops to be charged with murder
- His sister Bridgett Floyd spoke out saying the cops’ termination ‘is just not enough’
The new videos offer further insight into Floyd’s death, which has sparked outrage and questions overs officers’ alleged use of force on a suspect accused of a non-violent offense.
In the CCTV footage from a restaurant, a handcuffed Floyd is seen sitting on the ground as a police officer, who was not seen in the original viral video, speaks to him before picking him up and holding him against the wall.
Another police officer then comes over and helps escort Floyd to a nearby squad car before the clip ends.
The events to follow were then captured in a separate video widely shared on Tuesday, which showed Floyd pleading with Chauvin to stop, saying ‘please, please, I can’t breathe’ and ‘My stomach hurts. My neck hurts. Everything hurts’, as he is pinned to the ground.
Witnesses at the scene were heard urging the arresting officers to stop, with one pointing out that Floyd was not resisting arrest.
On Wednesday, Ben Crump, the attorney representing Floyd’s family, said without video footage of the incident, he believes police ‘would have given a false narrative and they would’ve swept it under the rug,’ he told Today.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, who said firing the police officers was the ‘right call,’ is now asking for the white cop who knelt on George Floyd’s neck to be arrested and charged
George Floyd’s (pictured) heartbroken family have called for the cops to be charged with murder and their lawyer revealed white cop Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck for a staggering eight minutes during the arrest for forgery
A photo taken across the street from the scene show three officers arresting Floyd as he lay on the ground. The FBI and state law enforcement authorities have launched an investigation into the man’s death
Protesters raised their fists and sported face masks to protect them from the spread of COVID-19 as they gathered for the rally near the spot where Floyd died
Shawanda Hill (right), the girlfriend of George Floyd, is comforted near the spot where he died while in custody of the Minneapolis Police
Shawanda Hill, the girlfriend of George Floyd, was pictured at the rally near the spot where he died
Protesters gather under the rain to protest on Tuesday evening, near the spot where George Floyd died
An initial statement released by the Minneapolis Police Department on Tuesday did not include details of officers’ altercation with Floyd and only mentioned he had suffered ‘medical distress’ following the arrest.
‘Officers were advised that the suspect was sitting on top of a blue car and appeared to be under the influence,’ Police spokesman John Elder said in a statement.
MINNEAPOLIS POLICE DEPARTMENT STATEMENT AFTER GEORGE FLOYD’S DEATH
On Monday evening, shortly after 8:00 pm, officers from the Minneapolis Police Department responded to the 3700 block of Chicago Avenue South on a report of a forgery in progress. Officers were advised that the suspect was sitting on top of a blue car and appeared to be under the influence.
Two officers arrived and located the suspect, a male believed to be in his 40s, in his car. He was ordered to step from his car. After he got out, he physically resisted officers. 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 Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has been called in to investigate this incident at the request of the Minneapolis Police Department.
No officers were injured in the incident.
Body worn cameras were on and activated during this incident.
‘Two officers arrived and located the suspect, a male believed to be in his 40s, in his car. He was ordered to step from his car. After he got out, he physically resisted officers. 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.’
Crump pointed to the similarities in the case with the death of unarmed black man Garner who died in 2014 after he was placed in a chokehold by New York City police and pleaded for his life, saying he could not breathe.
Parallels have already been drawn between the two cases, both of which were captured on video, but Crump described Floyd’s death as even ‘worse’.
‘I mean it was 8 minutes. It is in many ways worse than Eric Garner as they have his knees on his neck and he is begging, pleading for not one minute, not two minutes, not three minutes but eight minutes – begging them to let him breathe so we have “we can’t breathe” again in 2020,’ he said.
Crump said news that the officers had been fired was a ‘good first step’ but said it does not go far enough to getting justice for the dead man.
Before his death on Monday, Floyd had worked as a security guard at Conga Latin Bistro on East Hennepin Ave, owner Jovanni Thunstrom revealed.
He described him as a ‘good friend, person, and a good tenant’, saying Floyd rented property from him in St. Louis Park.
‘He was family. His co-workers and friends loved him,’ Thunstrom told the Star Tribune.
Floyd was also father to two children, including six-year-old daughter Gianna Floyd, whom he shared with former partner Roxie Washington, from Houston.
Washington told the Houston Chronicle Floyd, who was born in North Carolina, grew up in Houston’s Third Ward after moving there as a baby.
She remembered him as a star athlete who ended up receiving a basketball scholarship to Florida State University in Washington, but said he did not finish his studies.
After moving back to Texas to focus on making hip hop music, Floyd eventually moved to Minneapolis in 2018.
There he had worked a truck driver and a bouncer at Thunstrom’s restaurant.
‘It’s cruel. They took him away from my daughter. She’ll never see her father again,’ Washington said.
‘He was a gentle giant. People mistake him because he was so big that they thought he was always a fighting person but he was a loving person…. and he loved his daughter.’
Floyd’s family have since demanded police officer Chauvin be charged with murder, and the other three officers involved charged as murder accomplices, in addition to losing their jobs.
Thousands of defiant protesters took to the streets to demand justice for Floyd on Tuesday, and were met with Minneapolis cops in riot gear firing rubber bullets.
Demonstrators carrying placards reading ‘I can’t breathe’ and ‘Justice 4 Floyd’ surrounded a police precinct Tuesday night after the disturbing video of 46-year-old Floyd begging the cop to stop before falling unconscious was shared online.
Floyd worked as a bouncer for Conga Latin Bistro on E Hennepin Ave and previously had a job as a truck driver in Minneapolis, friends said
Chaos has erupted at a Minneapolis protest over George Floyd’s death as police in riot gear threw tear gas and rubber bullets at demonstrators demanding the white cops are charged over the black man’s killing
Demonstrators carrying placards reading ‘I can’t breathe’ and ‘Justice 4 Floyd’ surrounded a police precinct Tuesday night. Milk drains from the face of a protester who had been exposed to percussion grenades and tear gas outside the Minneapolis Police 3rd Precinct on Tuesday
The demonstators demanded the arrest of the four officers but were met with rubber bullets and tear gas fired by masked cops as the city’s streets descended into chaos.
Floyd was filmed Monday begging the Minneapolis cop to stop and telling him he could not breathe before he lost consciousness and later died
The victim’s heartbroken family have called for the cops to be charged with murder and their lawyer revealed white cop Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck for a staggering eight minutes during the arrest for forgery.
Floyd worked as a security guard at Conga Latin Bistro, a local bistro in Minneapolis. The bar’s owners have described him as a ‘very calm, nice guy’ who was not the type to be ‘aggressive’ or ‘disrespectful’.
The demonstrators demanded the arrest of the four officers but were met with rubber bullets and tear gas fired by masked cops as the city’s streets descended into chaos.
Some had their faces doused in milk to limit the effects of the gas while others ran for cover.
The peaceful event turned ugly as it continued into the night, with footage showing both police and protesters hurling things at each other.
Police in riot gear were pictured forming a barrier around the precinct from around 7.30pm as swarms of people marched on the building, reported CBS Local.
Footage then revealed some protesters sitting on the ground, while officers threw smoke bombs, tear gas and flash grenades into the crowds.
At one point, a car was seen being struck by a tear gas canister as people ran away.
A man holds his hands up in a gesture seen in the ‘Hands up, don’t shoot’ movement in Ferguson in 2014, following the fatal shooting of black 18-year-old Michael Brown by a white police officer
Shocking images emerged of people dousing their faces in milk in desperate efforts to limit the effects of the tear gas hurled at them by police
People gathered for the rally were seen running desperately from the scene away from the rain of rubber bullets and tear gas from police
Police and protesters clash as night falls on Minneapolis Tuesday – one day after black man George Floyd died
Hill was being comforted by other protesters at the rally which descended into chaos when demonstrators and police clash
People were packed in for the rally Tuesday which began peacefully but descended into carnage later in the day
Images showed people who had gathered for the rally desperately fleeing as rubber bullets and tear gas rained down on them.
In one picture, a man was seen holding his hands up in a gesture that started in the ‘Hands up, don’t shoot’ movement in Ferguson in 2014, following the fatal shooting of black 18-year-old Michael Brown by a white police officer.
Others hid behind shopping carts from the Target store nearby.
Shawanda Hill, the girlfriend of George Floyd, was pictured at the rally near the spot where her boyfriend died being comforted by other protesters as she choked back tears of grief.
A reporter for Star Tribune, Andy Mannix, said in a Twitter post that he was shot in the thigh with a rubber bullet while covering the protests, as tensions mounted between law enforcement and the protesters.
The demonstrators hit back at the police too, with some seen throwing bricks and rocks at police vehicles and smashing up the car windows.
One man was seen launching a large brick onto an empty squad car. There were reports of at least one officer injured in the chaos.
Hundreds of people began gathering at the intersection of E 38th St and Chicago Avenue in the city during the afternoon, ahead of a planned march of around two miles from the site of Floyd’s arrest to the police precinct.
One woman was seen wearing a face mask with the phrase ‘I can’t breathe’ written across her mouth.
Protesters raised their fists and sported face masks to protect them from the spread of COVID-19 as they gathered for the rally near the spot where Floyd died.
REVEALED: White cop who kneeled on George Floyd’s neck was involved in a fatal police shooting and one of the other fired officers paid a $25K settlement after being sued for using excessive force in arrest where he punched and kicked a handcuffed suspect
Two of the cops fired over the arrest of black man George Floyd have already been investigated for their roles in previous use-of-force incidents, it’s been revealed.
Derek Chauvin, 44, the officer filmed kneeling on Floyd’s neck during his arrest, is a 19-year veteran of the force who was investigated over a fatal police shooting in 2006.
Floyd died Monday in police custody, hours after footage showed Minneapolis cop Chauvin knelt on him for eight minutes during the arrest for forgery.
Now it’s been revealed Chauvin was investigated for his role in the 2008 shooting of Ira Latrell Toles during a domestic assault call. Toles was wounded after police said he went for an officer’s gun and Chauvin shot him.
Derek Chauvin, 44, the officer filmed kneeling Floyd’s neck during his arrest, is a 19-year veteran of the force who was investigated over a fatal police shooting in 2006
A second officer involved in Monday’s arrest, Tou Thao, is said to been part of a $25,000 out of court settlement after being sued for using excessive force in 2017
Only Chauvin and Thao have been named in reports; the remaining two officers are yet to be identified. The FBI and state law enforcement authorities have launched an investigation into the man’s death
Two years earlier Wayne Reyes, 42 was killed by officers after allegedly pulling a shotgun on the six cops, which included Chauvin, The Star Tribune reports.
White cop who kneeled on George Floyd’s neck was involved in three police shootings
The white police officer who kneeled on George Floyd’s neck has already been investigated over three police shootings and a fatal car chase.
In 2006 Derek Chauvin, 44, was one of six officers connected to the death of Wayne Reyes.
Reyes, 42 was killed by officers after allegedly pulling a shotgun on the six cops, which included Chauvin.
Two years later Chauvin was investigated for his role in the 2008 shooting of Ira Latrell Toles during a domestic assault call.
Toles was wounded after police said he went for an officer’s gun and Chauvin shot him.
And in 2011 23-year-old Leroy Martinez was shot and injured during a chase given by officers including Chauvin.
A second officer involved in Monday’s arrest, Tou Thao, is said to been part of a $25,000 out of court settlement after being sued for using excessive force in 2017.
In a lawsuit obtained by the DailyMail.com shows Thao was sued for using excessive force in arrest where he was accused of punching and kicking a handcuffed suspect ‘until his teeth broke’.
The second officer, Thao, was sued in 2017 by Lamar Ferguson who said the cop had used excessive force during his arrest.
A lawsuit obtained by DailMail.com states ‘Defendant Thunder and Defendant Thao’s use of unreasonable force on Plaintiff, in the form of punches, kicks, and knees to the face and body while Plaintiff was defenseless and handcuffed, was so extreme that it caused Plaintiff to suffer broken teeth as well as other bruising and trauma.’
The case was settled out of court for $25,000 after Thao said he had punched Ferguson after he ‘actively resisted arrest’.
He wrote: ‘After — at this point he’s actively resisting arrest. He — so I had no choice but to punch him. I punched him in the face.’
All four officers – who have not been officially identified – involved in Monday’s incident were fired Tuesday. DailyMail.com has contacted Minneapolis police for comment and for the officer’s full records with the department.
Chauvin is said to be represented by lawyer Tom Kelly. He was Jeronimo Yavez’ attorney after the Minnesota police officer fatally shot Philando Castile during a traffic stop in 2016.
Yavez was found not guilty on all three charges by a jury in 2017.
Only Chauvin and Thao have been named in reports; the remaining two officers are yet to be identified.
Only Chauvin and Thao have been named; two more cops are yet to be identified, pictured
The FBI and state law enforcement authorities have launched an investigation into the man’s death.
Minneapolis cops in riot gear last night fired rubber bullets and tear gas at thousands of defiant protesters who took to the streets to demand justice for Floyd.
The victim’s heartbroken family have called for the cops to be charged with murder.
Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo announced Tuesday that four officers are now ‘former employees’ of the force.
‘We know there are inherent dangers in the profession of policing but the vast majority of the work we do never require the use of force,’ Arradondo said.
Floyd’s death has caused outrage across America with political figures and celebrities including Cardi B, P Diddy and Demi Lovato voicing their anger.
Floyd worked as a security guard at Conga Latin Bistro, a local bistro in Minneapolis. The bar’s owners have described him as a ‘very calm, nice guy’ who was not the type to be ‘aggressive’ or ‘disrespectful’.
EXCLUSIVE: George Floyd was a standout on his Texas high school football team and rapper who worked with legendary Houston musician, as his ex-girlfriend says he was loving father to their young daughter
George Floyd was not only a rapper who recorded music with the late influential hip hop artist DJ Screw and a star football player for his Texas high school team, but a father of two young girls, including a six-year-old, who he now leaves behind.
Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, died on Monday after passing out while a white Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for eight minutes during an arrest that was caught on camera, sparking protests in the Minnesota city and outrage across the country.
In the wake of Floyd’s death, the four arresting officers were fired Tuesday. It has since been revealed the white officer who was seen forcefully kneeling on Floyd’s neck was involved in a fatal police shooting. Another one of the fired officers paid a $25,000 settlement after being sued for using excessive force in a 2017 arrest.
George Floyd (pictured in the 1990s, in jersey 88) was not only a rapper who recorded music with the late influential hip hop artist DJ Screw and a star football player for his Texas high school team, but a father of two young girls, who he now leaves behind. Floyd was loved by many on the football team at Jack Yates High School in Houston where he played wide receiver. A fellow teammate tweeted his sadness and anger when he learned of Floyd’s death
Floyd leaves behind two daughters, including six-year-old Gianna Floyd who lives with her mother, Roxie Washington (pictured all together), in Floyd’s former hometown of Houston. Washington told the Houston Chronicle her ex was a ‘gentle giant’
Floyd leaves behind two daughters, including six-year-old Gianna Floyd who lives with her mother Roxie Washington in Floyd’s former hometown of Houston.
Washington told the Houston Chronicle her ex was a ‘gentle giant’.
‘People mistake him because he was so big that they thought he was always a fighting person but he was a loving person,’ she said. ‘And he loved his daughter.’
‘I don’t even have words for it,’ Washington, 38, told the paper. ‘It’s cruel. They took him away from my daughter. She’ll never see her father again.’
In an interview with CBS This Morning, Floyd’s cousin said his daughter is ‘not doing well’ after learning of her father’s untimely death.
Washington, who attended a 100-strong protest in Houston after Floyd’s death, said he was born in North Carolina and moved to the city’s third ward as a baby.
‘I don’t even have words for it,’ Washington (left with Floyd center), 38, told the paper. ‘It’s cruel. They took him away from my daughter. She’ll never see her father again.’
Washington, who attended a 100-strong protest in Houston after Floyd’s death, said he was born in North Carolina and moved to the city’s third ward as a baby
Floyd was loved by many on the football team at Jack Yates High School in Houston where he played wide receiver in the 1990s.
A fellow teammate tweeted his sadness and anger when he learned of Floyd’s death.
He wrote: ‘We played together on the same summer league team (after our freshman year) in the BCI league.
‘Floyd was a cool dude. Hate to hear that he passed. Now I’m just realizing that Floyd is the guy killed by police. I hope the officer who did this meets the same fate. That would be justice.’
Archive footage from 1992 shows Floyd scoring a dramatic touchdown at one of the Yates games.
The school’s coach, M.J. Hickey Jr, posted a photo on Twitter of the late player with his team and the caption ‘#88 #RIPGeorgeFloyd’.
Washington said Floyd received a basketball scholarship from Florida State University, but returned to Houston before he finished college and began making music.
Former NBA player Stephen Jackson posted on social media calling Floyd his ‘twin’, as the two men played on both the Yates football and basketball team and grew up in Houston’s third ward.
‘U will know who Floyd was,’ Jackson’s Instagram post said. ‘Nobodies perfect but Floyd was loved by everybody when he’s friends wasn’t. Just the facts u gotta be from HTown to know what I’m saying. Rest Easy Twin we riding for ya.’
Fans of revered hip hop artist DJ Screw celebrated Floyd’s musical career by sharing links of tracks he recorded under his rapping name ‘Big Floyd’ alongside the legendary Houston musician.
DJ Screw, whose real name was Robert Earl Davis Jr, died in 2000 of a drug overdose after releasing 35 mixtapes. The rapper was posthumously made an official Texas Music Pioneer by Governor Rick Perry.
‘He’s on countless Screw tapes. RIP to a legend,’ one fan tweeted Wednesday.
Floyd worked as a security guard after moving to Minneapolis around 2018, Washington said.
Floyd worked first as a truck driver and then as a security guard at Minneapolis restaurant Conga Latin Bistro.
On Tuesday, new video emerged showing the moment Floyd was pulled from his car by police moments before a white officer pinned him to the ground by his neck in an altercation that led to his death.
‘Firing them is not enough’: George Floyd’s sister doubles down on call to have four cops who ‘murdered’ her brother arrested saying ‘this must not happen to another family’
George Floyd’s sister on Wednesday doubled down on calls to have four police officers charged with murder after they were fired over a video of one white officer kneeling on her brother’s neck during his arrest.
Bridgett Floyd told the Today show: ‘I would like for those officers to be charged with murder because that’s exactly what they did. They murdered my brother; he was crying for help.’
Wearing a t-shirt with her brother’s words ‘I can’t breathe’ on it, she added: ‘I don’t need them to be suspended and able to work in another state or another county. Their licenses should be taken away; their jobs should be take away, and they should be put in jail for murder.
‘I believe that justice will be served — I have enough faith to stand on it.’
Bridgett Floyd, pictured, doubled down on calls to have four police officers charged with murder after they were fired over a video of one white officer kneeling on her brother’s neck during his arrest
Bridgett Floyd told the Today show: ‘I would like for those officers to be charged with murder because that’s exactly what they did. They murdered my brother; he was crying for help’
Two of George Floyd’s cousins had already said the firing of the officers was just ‘a start’ after watching footage of the shocking incident and the cops ‘murdered our cousin’.
The family’s lawyer has called for white cop Derek Chauvin to be charged with murder and the other three officers involved charged as murder accomplices as he revealed Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck for a staggering eight minutes and blasted the case as ‘worse than Eric Garner’.
Floyd was filmed Monday begging the Minneapolis cop to stop and telling him he could not breathe before he lost consciousness and later died after officers arrested him for allegedly trying to use forged documents at a local deli.
Four members of the Minneapolis Police Department who were involved in Monday’s incident have now been fired, and the FBI and state law enforcement authorities have launched an investigation into the man’s death.
Floyd’s devastated family have now broken their silence over his death in an interview with TMX.news, where they told how they watched the horrific footage on TV before realizing it was their ‘baby cousin’.
His devastated family have now broken their silence over his death in an interview with TMX.news, where his cousins Tera Brown (left) and Shareeduh Tate (right) told how they watched the video not realizing it was their ‘baby cousin’
‘I actually saw it before knowing it was my cousin – I saw it on Gayle King,’ said Shareeduh Tate.
‘And I remember thinking how devastating this would be for the family who have lost their family member like this… then about five minutes after that I got a phone call saying that it was my cousin.’
She thanked the bystanders who were heard in the footage urging the police to stop what they were doing and warning them that they were killing Floyd.
‘I can’t thank them enough. We always see these kinds of things take place and we always wonder what we would do in that position and we’re so grateful… and even more so grateful for the person who was there with a camera to capture it as so many times there is not a witness around and it’s questionable as to what has happened,’ Tate said.
Floyd’s other cousin Tera Brown called the footage ‘unbelievable’.
Ben Crump, the attorney for the victim’s family has demanded officers face prosecution over the killing and saying this is ‘worse than Eric Garner’ because the officers held Floyd down by the neck for a staggering eight minutes
‘It’s unbelievable to see someone suffering in the way that he did,’ she said. ‘And to have so many people around asking for them to basically allow him to live.’
Tate said the firing of the four police officers was ‘a start’ but is ‘definitely not enough’ as she blasted the authorities for ‘murdering’ the father-of-one.
‘They murdered our cousin,’ she said.
Brown described him as ‘the cousin that everybody loved’ who was ‘always happy’ and a ‘jokester’.
‘He was everybody’s favorite everything – he was the favorite friend, the favorite cousin,’ she added.
She said news of his death has been especially hard on Floyd’s daughter who she said is ‘not doing well’.
Ben Crump, the attorney for the victim’s family has demanded officers face murder charges over the killing and said this is ‘worse than Eric Garner’ because the officers held Floyd down by the neck for a staggering eight minutes.
Crump pointed to the similarities in the case with the death of unarmed black man Garner who died in 2014 after he was placed in a chokehold by New York City police and pleaded for his life, saying he could not breathe.
Parallels have already been drawn between the two cases but Crump described Floyd’s death as even ‘worse’.
‘I mean it was 8 minutes. It is in many ways worse than Eric Garner as they have his knees on his neck and he is begging, pleading for not one minute, not two minutes, not three minutes but eight minutes – begging them to let him breathe so we have “we can’t breathe” again in 2020,’ he said.
Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Minneapolis and surrounded a police precinct Tuesday night, after a video emerged of a police officer kneeling on Floyd’s neck for several minutes until he passed out and later died during an arrest for forgery
Police are pictured in riot gear at the rally. The protest in the streets of Minneapolis over his death descended into chaos Tuesday night
A protester throws a brick onto an empty squad car near the Minneapolis 3rd Police Precinct Tuesday night
‘It just takes you back to Eric Garner and now we have another black man saying to police “I can’t breathe” and them not offering any humanity.’
Crump said news that the officers had been fired was a ‘good first step’ but said it does not go far enough to getting justice for the dead man.
‘I think the officer should be charged with murder,’ Crump told TMX.news, about Derek Chauvin, who has been identified as the cop who held Floyd down by the neck.
‘It was clear that he was begged by public bystanders to take his knee off George’s neck.’
Crump also called for the other officers involved to be charged as accomplices to murder.
‘They were supposed to protect and serve citizens like George. We in black America, we are done dying at the hands of the people that are supposed to protect and serve us,’ he said.
Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo announced Tuesday that four officers are now ‘former employees’ of the force.
‘We know there are inherent dangers in the profession of policing but the vast majority of the work we do never require the use of force,’ Arradondo said.
The names of the four fired cops have not been released, however two officers seen in the video were identified by Floyd’s family’s lawyer as officers Derek Chauvin and Tou Thao.
The two were filmed in a video taken by a bystander on Monday which showed Floyd struggling to breathe on the ground as a white cop kneeled on his neck for several minutes.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey responded to the four officers’ termination on Twitter saying the move was ‘the right call.’
Floyd, who was arrested on suspicion of forgery on Monday night, was heard repeatedly telling officers that he could not breathe as he lay on the ground next to the tire of a squad car.
Flocks of people gathered to demand action against the white cops at the center of Floyd’s death
Some people stood on top of the Metro Transit shelter in Minneapolis to hold aloft their banner
Eric Garner’s mother says video of George Floyd saying ‘I can’t breathe’ as white cop kneels on his neck before he died is a ‘recurring nightmare’ because it strikes a harrowing resemblance to her son’s 2014 death
The mother of Eric Garner has been left horrified by the harrowing video of an unarmed black man crying ‘I can’t breathe’ while being pinned down by a white cop in Minneapolis – a case bearing a striking resemblance to her son’s 2014 death in New York.
Gwen Carr, whose 27-year-old son died after he was placed in an apparent chokehold by a NYPD officer, said she could barely stomach watching the video of George Floyd, 46, who was filmed passing out on the ground on Monday after four officers arrested him for allegedly trying to use forged documents at a local deli.
Floyd later died in hospital in an incident that is now under investigation by the FBI and has triggered a national outcry, with thousands of protesters to taking to the streets in anger.
Gwen Carr (center), the mother of Eric Garner has been left horrified by the harrowing video of an unarmed black man crying ‘I can’t breathe’ while being pinned down by a white cop in Minneapolis – a case bearing a striking resemblance to her son’s 2014 death in Staten Island
Carr, whose 27-year-old son (right) died after he was placed in an apparent chokehold by a NYPD officer, said she could barely stomach watching the video of George Floyd, 46, who was filmed passing out on the ground on Monday after four officers arrested him for allegedly trying to use forged documents at a local deli.
‘It was déjà vu all over again,’ Carr told NBC. ‘It’s like a reoccurring nightmare,’ she said.
In the video captured by a bystander, Floyd can be seen pinned to the ground near the back tire of a police car by a white officer who is kneeling down on his neck.
Floyd his heard pleading with the cop to stop several times over the course of six minutes, crying out to him, ‘Please, please, I can’t breathe’ and ‘My stomach hurts. My neck hurts. Everything hurts,’ before eventually losing consciousness.
Garner, a father-of-six, had made the same pleas to plainclothes NYPD officer Daniel Pantaleo six years ago, telling him on 11 separate occasions ‘I can’t breathe’, as Pantaleo pulled him by the neck with his forearm onto the sidewalk.
The words would prove to be Garner’s last. He later died in hospital, having suffered an asthma attack and gone into cardiac arrest while being restrained. The city’s medical examiner ruled his death a homicide, with the chokehold deemed a ‘significant factor’ in his passing.
Nationwide protests broke out after a grand jury declined to indict Pantaleo. The 27-year-old had been accused of selling loose untaxed cigarettes in the moments leading up to the incident.
In Floyd’s case, newly emerged video shows him being manhandled and forcibly removed from his vehicle by two officers as he is placed in handcuffs outside of Cup Foods grocery store on 38th and Chicago Ave.
The incident has drawn comparisons to the case of Eric Garner (pictured) an unarmed New York man who died in 2014 after he was placed in a chokehold by police and pleaded for his life saying he couldn’t breathe
The 46-year-old appears to be complying with officers and not resisting the arrest. Police spokesman John Elder had earlier claimed Floyd was ‘ordered to step out from his car. After he got out, he physically resisted officers.’
Carr said the news of Floyd’s death has forced her to relieve the searing pain of her son’s similar and brutal demise.
‘It was just like me reliving my son’s murder all over again,’ Carr told PIX11. ‘It’s just so horrifying how these police officers come into our neighborhoods and terrorize and brutalize.’
‘Tears are in my eyes because it’s like it’s happening to me again and again. Why does this keep on happening over and over again?’
Carr added that she cannot see ‘any justification’ for the force used by the officers. ‘To put your knee on someone’s neck, you are obstructing their breathing. That is completely a no-no,’ she told NBC.
The black man who died in police custody in Minneapolis on Monday has been identified as George Floyd on social media. The attorney representing Floyd’s family Benjamin Crump tweeted this photo of the victim on Tuesday, calling for police officers to be brought to justice
‘Why would you keep your knee there?’ she asked, insisting that Floyd clearly needed help. ‘After three minutes, you don’t realize that this man is saying that he can’t breathe? And he’s struggling, struggling for life?’
The officers involved in the incident were not immediately identified and had initially been placed on paid administrative leave as of Tuesday morning, before Mayor Jacob Frey tweeted hours later that all four offices had been fired.
‘I’m so glad that those officers were fired, but that’s not enough,’ Carr said. ‘We need criminal charges because that was outright murder, what they did to that young man.’
Floyd’s death is under investigation by the FBI and state law enforcement authorities. A police union is asking the public ‘not to rush to judgment’ in the case.
‘Officers’ actions and training protocol will be carefully examined after the officers have provided their statements,’ the union said. We ask that the community remain calm and let the investigation be completed in full.’
None of the officers involved in Garner’s death were ever criminally prosecuted. Carr said she’s wary of the FBI’s assistance in the Minneapolis investigation after Attorney General William Barr made the final determination last summer not to charge Pantaleo, citing insufficient evidence.
Pantaleo was, however, eventually fired by the NYPD in August 2019. He filed a lawsuit against the city last fall, calling his termination ‘arbitrary and capricious’.
While Minneapolis has moved much more quickly to fire the officers who contributed to Floyd’s death, Carr said she hopes his surviving family members attain justice much sooner than she did.
‘I hope this family doesn’t need to suffer like I suffered for six years,’ she said.
A man holds a ‘Stop Killing Black People’ placard while protesting near the area where a Minneapolis Police Department officer allegedly killed George Floyd
A Black Lives Matter memorial was left for George Floyd who died in custody on May 26
People gather around a makeshift memorial Tuesday, May 26, 2020, in Minneapolis, near where a black man was taken into police custody the day before who later died
Recent killings of black men by officers
- Ahmaud Arbery, 25, was fatally gunned down by a white former police detective and his son on February 23, 2020, near Brunswick in Glynn County, Georgia. He was unarmed and had been out jogging. The case has sparked outrage around the world and some say it is proof of persistent racism in the South.
- Michael Brown, 18, was fatally shot by 28-year-old white Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri, on August 9, 2014. Brown and his friend were stopped after police suspected they had carried out a robbery. An altercation ensued and Wilson opened fire and shot Brown six times.
- Eric Garner, 43, died in the New York City borough of Staten Island on July 17, 2014, after NYPD officer Daniel Pantaleo put him in a chokehold for 15 seconds. Officers had approached him on suspicion of selling single cigarettes without tax stamps. Garner repeated the words ‘I can’t breathe’ 11 times while lying face down on the sidewalk while he was being arrested.
- Trayvon Martin, 17, was unarmed when he was shot dead by George Zimmerman while visiting his father’s fiancee in the gated community of The Retreat at Twin Lakes in Sanford, Florida on February 26, 2012. Zimmerman was neighbourhood watch coordinator at the time.
When asked by reporters about the use of the knee on the man’s neck on Tuesday, Police Chief Arradondo said the department has ‘policies in place regarding placing someone under control’ that ‘will be part of the full investigation we’ll do internally.’
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension confirmed the FBI joined its investigation after footage video of the incident emerged.
All body camera footage has been turned over to the BCA, which investigates most police shootings and in-custody deaths.
The officers involved were initially put on paid administrative leave, per department protocol.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey addressed the incident in a press conference on Tuesday morning, calling events in the video ‘wrong at every level.’
‘Being black in America should not be a death sentence,’ he said.
‘For five minutes we watched as a white officer pressed his knee to the neck of a black man. For five minutes.
‘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.’
Frey also apologized to the family of the man as well as the black community.
‘He was a human being and his life mattered,’ he said.
Throughout the video, the arresting officer is seen kneeling on the man’s neck as he lay motionless on the ground
Minnesota state Senator Amy Klobuchar released a statement following the mayor’s media briefing, calling for the police officers involved to be held accountable.
‘We heard his repeated calls for help. We heard him say over and over again that he could not breathe. And now we have a seen yet another horrifying and gutwrenching instance of an African American man dying,’ she said.
‘Every single person in every single community in this country deserves to feel safe. As the Mayor Minneapolis noted, this tragic loss of life calls for immediate action.
‘There must be a complete and thorough outside investigation into what occurred, and those involved in this incident must be held accountable.
‘Justice must be served for this man and his family, justice must be served for our community, and justice must be served for our country.’
Nekima Levy-Armstrong, a prominent local activist, said watching the footage that was shared on social media made her ‘sick to her stomach’ and called the incident another example of police brutality toward African American men, the Star Tribune reported.
‘Whatever the man may have done should not have ended in a death sentence,’ she said.
‘What started as an alleged economic incident once again turned deadly for a black man.’
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey addressed the incident in a press briefing on Tuesday morning, calling the events in the video ‘wrong at every level’ and saying the officers involved ‘failed in the most basic human sense’
Levy-Armstrong said the incident reminded her of the Eric Garner case.
He was an unarmed New York man who died in 2014 after he was placed in a chokehold by police and pleaded for his life saying he couldn’t breathe.
A grand jury later decided against indicting the officers involved, sparking protests around the country.
Police in Minneapolis have come under the microscope in recent years for deadly run-ins with citizens.
A 24-year-old black man, Jamar Clark, was shot in the head and died in 2015 after a confrontation with two white officers responding to a reported assault.
A county prosecutor declined to prosecute the officers, saying Clark was struggling for one of the officers´ gun when he was shot.
A white woman, Justine Rusczcyk Damond, died in 2017 when she was shot in the stomach by a Minneapolis officer responding to her 911 call.
That officer, who is black, was convicted of manslaughter and murder and is serving a 12-year prison sentence.
Gayle King breaks down on live TV while discussing death of George Floyd after white cop knelt on his neck, as she leads big names speaking out about the killing and says it ‘feels like open season’ on black men in America
Gayle King broke down on live TV as she warned that it ‘feels to me like open season’ on young black men in America after footage emerged of the white cop kneeling on the neck of George Floyd who then passed out and died.
King led celebrities and politicians Tuesday in voicing outrage over his death, with many taking to social media demanding the police officers involved are arrested and that the US tackles what many regard as ‘systemic’ racism against young African-American men.
King’s voice broke on CBS This Morning Tuesday after she watched the horrifying footage of Floyd’s death followed by another video of a racist incident in Central Park, New York, where white investment banker Amy Cooper called 911 to report an ‘African-American man threatening her life’ when he simply asked her to leash her dog.
An emotional King said she was ‘speechless’ and that ‘this is really too much for me today’ before she asked her co-hosts to step in to take over talking about the shocking incidents.
‘I don’t even know what to do or how to handle this at this particular time… I am speechless,’ King said, as she holds back tears.
‘Once again, I say thank goodness that there’s video tape. You know, I think as a daughter of a black man and a mother of a black man, this is really too much for me today. I’m still rattled by the last story.’
Gayle King broke down on CBS This Morning Tuesday as she warned that it ‘feels to me like open season’ on black men in America after footage emerged of a white cop kneeling on the neck of a black man who then passed out and died
An emotional King said she was ‘speechless’ and that ‘this is really too much for me today’ before she asked her co-hosts to step in to take over talking about the shocking incidents
‘I’m so sorry. I’m still so upset by that last story where the man is handcuffed underneath a car, where people are pleading, ‘Please he can’t breathe,’ and we’re watching a man die,’ she said.
‘So we go from that story now to this story where she falsely accuses a black man on television.’
‘I am really, really speechless about what we are seeing on television this morning,’ King added.
‘It feels to me like open season, and that it’s just not sometimes a safe place to be in this country for black men. And today is too much for me.’
Floyd’s death has sparked outrage across the nation, with politicians and celebrities including Ice Cube, Debra Messing and Martin Luther King III taking to social media to brand the Minneapolis cops murderers and demand they be arrested.
This comes less than a month after footage emerged of black jogger Ahmaud Arbery being shot dead in a street in Georgia by two white men who evaded prosecution for more than two months.
The leak of the video sparked outrage across the nation with LeBron James, Justin Bieber and Kendall Jenner all leading cries for Travis and Gregory McMichael to be charged with murder.
The father and son duo were only arrested and charged with murder after the video went viral.
Black celebrities led the cries for the arrest of the officers involved in Floyd’s death Tuesday, after it emerged four cops had been fired over the incident.
‘How long will we go for Blue on Black Crime before we strike back???’ Ice Cube tweeted.
The rapper then had to defend his use of the words ‘strike back’ when some said he was encouraging vigilantism.
He responded with a follow-up Tweet: ‘Anybody coming at me for what I said ain’t ready to do s**t…’
Ice T also spoke out about Floyd’s death in a series of Tweets.
‘They Killed another Brother.. On Video,’ he wrote.
He followed it up with another post that read: ‘I play a Cop on TV… But I’ll NEVER stop speaking about injustice… EVER. F that.’
Snoop Dogg simply posted a meme showing the white cop kneeling on Floyd’s neck alongside an image of Colin Kaepernick kneeling, saying ‘This is why’.
The post was in reference to the #TakeAKnee protest which has involved some black American athletes kneeling during the US national anthem at sports events in protest against police brutality and racism.
Martin Luther King III also took to social media over the footage with the slogan: ‘Say his name. #GeorgeFloyd #icantbreathe’.
Singers Ariana Grande, Madonna and Justin Bieber also waded into the issue, sharing posts condemning police brutality with their millions of followers.
Grande posted an Instagram story of a black screen with the hashtags #BlackLivesMatter and #justiceforGeorgeFloyd.
‘Justice is not just about specific officers being arrested. It’s about dismantling the systems that make it possible,’ she wrote.
Pop star Bieber posted a photo of the incident and decried it as ‘sick’.
‘This makes me absolutely sick. This makes me angry this man DIED. This makes me sad. Racism is evil We need to use out voice! Please people. I’m sorry GEORGE FLOYD,’ he wrote.
Madonna slammed the police officer responsible for Floyd’s death saying he ‘knew he was being filmed and murdered him with arrogance and pride’.
Keeping it simple: Diddy posted an emoji of praying hands in reaction to the senseless death. Demi Lovato said Floyd’s death should send a signal to everyone that black people live in danger in the U.S.
Unfair: Halsey pointed at the systemic issues paving the way for the types of confrontations like the one Floyd died after
Will & Grace star Debra Messing uploaded a post that echoed the victim’s family’s pleas that the firing of the four cops does not go far enough to getting justice for the man’s death.
‘#GeorgeFloyd is the African-American man being MURDERED on this video. You watch it happen. With no respect for human life, these cops used unnecessary force on a man who was already detained. They have been fired. I WANT THEM ARRESTED!,’ she tweeted.
Cardi B wrote on social media: ‘Enough is enough! What will it take? A civil war? A new president? Violent riots? It’s tired ! I’m tired ! The country is tired!
‘You don’t put fear in people when you do this you just show how coward YOU ARE ! And how America is really not the land of the free!’
Diddy posted an emoji of praying hands in reaction to the senseless death, while Viola Davis put the racial imbalance of the situation and others like it into perspective.
‘This is what it means to be Black in America. Tried. Convicted. Killed for being Black,’ the Oscar-winner said. ‘We are dictated by hundreds of years of policies that have restricted our very existence and still have to continue to face modern day lynchings.
‘Here’s the thing……America will never be great until we can figure out a way for it to work for EVERYBODY!!!’
Demi Lovato said, ‘I’m tired of typing Rest in Peace … I wish black men could live in peace.’
Several politicians have also slammed Floyd’s death and called for action against what they describe as a ‘systemic problem’ in policing across America
Halsey said the incident was another example of a broken system with racial imbalances and little consequences for the offenders.
‘Rest in power #GeorgeFloyd an unarmed black man who was murdered by a police officer ON CAMERA,’ the singer said. ‘This system is failing the people it should protect. where is the accountability?’
Bravo’s Andy Cohen said that ‘every American should be outraged at’ seeing the images from the incident, while Jameela Jamil lobbied for the arrests of two of the officers involved in the incident.
Filmmaker Ava DuVernay delivered a powerful message on her social media in the wake of the tragic death.
‘You deserved your breath, your dignity, your life,’ DuVernay said. ‘Not to die in the street, murdered by a white cop’s knee on your neck. You deserve our tears, our prayers, our rage, our action.’
She added, ‘We must act – for you – and for all of tho se were no cameras are present. We must. #GeorgeFloyd.’
Actor Billy Baldwin posted a side by side shot of the officer with his knee and NFL’s Colin Kaepernick with the hashtag #ThisIsWhyWeKneel. The Backdraft actor added: ‘If they don’t arrest and convict this cop… things are gonna get real ugly.’
Several politicians have also slammed Floyd’s death and called for action not just over his death but over all incidents of racism and police brutality.
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez pointed to a systemic issue across America as she said ‘police brutality’ is a ‘leading cause of death for young Black men’.
‘#GeorgeFloyd should be alive. Instead, he was killed as he begged police for his life. The impunity of police violence is a systemic problem we must face to save lives,’ she tweeted.
‘Police brutality is now a leading cause of death for young Black men in the US. The status quo is killing us.’
Former Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg also said there is a ‘systemic’ issue as he pointed to both Floyd’s death and the Central Park case.
He tweeted: ‘The killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The racism on display in Central Park. This can’t just continue to be a day in the life in the USA. This is systemic and it won’t change on its own.’
Presidential candidate Joe Biden tweeted late Tuesday urging for the FBI to conduct a ‘thorough investigation’ and for the officers to be ‘held responsible for their egregious actions’.
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