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George Perry Floyd Jr. is a black man killed during an arrest after allegedly attempting to pass a counterfeit $20 dollar bill in Minneapolis. On May 25, 2020, a white police officer, knelt on his neck for nearly eight minutes, all the while Floyd cried out nearly 30 times, saying “I can’t breathe.”
Floyd was a 46-year-old black American man who was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Reportedly, the victim has five children. Two of his daughters live in Houston, Texas. His youngest daughter is six years old. He also has a 22-year-old daughter and an older son who reside in Bryan, Texas.
His death added yet another unarmed Black person who was subjected to police brutality. There were four officers on the scene. Three of them “subdued” Floyd facedown on the pavement— one kneeling on his ankles and another on his upper thighs. The third knelt on his neck — a white police officer named Derek Chauvin. He was completely pinned under the weight of these officers.
Chauvin, a 19-year-veteran with the city’s police department. He brutally pressed on Floyd’s neck and disregarded the pleas and cries as the victim died. The officers held him down for an agonizing 10 minutes.
Authorities believe Floyd died within eight minutes but the officers did not check his pulse or breathing until two minutes later.
Floyd’s 6-year-old daughter, Gianna, appeared on “Good Morning America” and said she missed her daddy.
The police were not arrested and charged until after public outrage erupted into protests that often evolved into riots and looting. The protests spread globally as millions took to the streets demanding justice for Floyd.
Officer Chauvin was arrested and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter. At the time of this report, the officer was being held at Ramsey County jail in St. Paul.
Written by Charles Lott
Edited by Cathy Milne-Ware
Source:
USA Today: George Floyd told officers he ‘can’t breathe’ nearly 30 times, newly released body cam transcripts show
Image Courtesy of Chad Davis’ Flickr Page – Creative Commons License