Protests have erupted in the United States after George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police.
46-year-old Floyd, an African American man, reportedly died in hospital shortly after being handcuffed and held to the ground by police officers.
Footage has emerged that shows Floyd handcuffed at the tail end of a police car, with a white officer leaning his knee against Floyd’s neck. He can be heard pleading with the officers that he could not breathe, whilst onlookers tried to warn the officers as Floyd appeared to visibly deteriorate.
Floyd was taken to hospital after he appeared to bleed from his nose and lose consciousness, with it later emerging that he had died in hospital.
This is the protest that took place yesterday in Minneapolis over the murder of George Floyd. The last photo shows his girlfriend, Shawanda Hill, crying by the location he was killed at. Really take that in. See the aftermath of racism and police brutality. #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/NEIEnVtDbn
— ? (@HalloweenHailey) May 27, 2020
All four officers involved in the incident have reportedly been fired from the Minneapolis police department, with growing calls for legal action to be taken against the officers.
George Floyd’s family have called for the officers involved to be charged with murder, with Floyd’s cousin saying to CNN: “they were supposed to be there to serve and to protect and I didn’t see a single one of them lift a finger to do anything to help”.
His family described Floyd as a “gentle giant”, with the incident reminiscent of the death of Eric Garner in 2014 – who was suffocated to death by officers in New York.
A statement from the police department involved suggested that the officers were complying with ongoing investigations into Floyd’s death but would not rush to any judgement in the face of growing public pressure.
The police officers were responding to an alleged forgery, with reports suggesting that a suspect fitting the description was sitting on a car. When officers arrived the man was inside the car and the police stated that he “physically resisted” after getting out.
Officers allegedly handcuffed Floyd, before one officer knelt on his neck. Video footage shows Floyd being restrained by three of the officers, whilst a fourth was stood by observing bystanders. The footage shows Floyd lying motionless on the ground complaining of pain in his body and an inability to breathe.
Since his death, protesters have gathered across the city, with tear gas reportedly used to control the protesters.
