Four police officers have been fired following the death of an unarmed black man who was taken into custody in Minneapolis, officials said Tuesday.
Police Chief Medaria Arradondo did not identify the former officers but called them “former employees” with the department.
“This does not reflect the values that Chief Arradondo has worked tirelessly to instill. It does not represent the training we’ve invested in or the measures we’ve taken to ensure accountability. Being black in America should not be a death sentence,” Frey said.
In the video, Floyd is seen moaning and struggling, as bystanders urge officers to place him in the police car. “Please,” Floyd pleads. “I can’t breathe,” he continues to moan. An officer keeps insisting he get in the car, while the man repeatedly says he can’t.
“My stomach hurts. My neck hurts. Everything hurts. … (I need) water or something. Please. Please. I can’t breathe, officer. I cannot breathe. I cannot breathe.”
The attorney representing Floyd’s family, Benjamin Crump, had earlier in the day called for the officers to be fired. Crump called on the Hennepin County Attorney, Michael Freeman, to charge the officers with murder.
“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,” Crump said in a statement. “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.”
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Arradondo said the FBI is investigating whether civil rights charges are appropriate. The state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is also investigating. In a statement, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office said it is working with federal prosecutors and that they will review the findings of the investigations to make a prosecution decision.
“We promise a thorough, expedited review consistent with our on-going commitment to justice,” the county attorney’s office said in a statement. “Every person is entitled to fairness; no person stands above the law.”
Later in the day, several hundred people gathered to protest around the bus stop where Floyd was arrested.
Police originally said Floyd was resisting arrest, but a new video obtained by SonkoNews shows what appears to be the start of the confrontation between Floyd and police. The video from a restaurant security camera shows officers taking Floyd into custody, but the restaurant’s owner said it does not show Floyd resisting arrest.
