Two new videos have surfaced this morning of what led up to the disturbing footage of a white Minneapolis police officer kneeling on a black man’s neck until he passed out.
The man, George Floyd, 46, was detained for possible forgery and can be seen being ripped from a car by police, handcuffed, and compliant before he was pinned to the ground by one of the officers, who has since been identified as Derek Chauvin.
The first video, obtained by Fox9, shows police wrestling Floyd out of his vehicle outside of Cup Foods Grocery store on 38th and Chicago Avenue.
New video sent to us shows the moment George Floyd was removed from his vehicle and handcuffed on 38th and Chicago.
Video courtesy of Christopher Belfrey pic.twitter.com/MiIIula4sA— Alex Lehnert (@AlexLCBS4) May 26, 2020
In the second video, CCTV footage from a nearby restaurant that was released by CBS News shows Floyd handcuffed and sitting on the ground. The footage shows an officer approach Floyd and lifts him up, but it does not show Floyd resisting arrest or being combative.
Video shows what appears to be the start of the confrontation between #GeorgeFloyd and #Minneapolis #police officers. A restaurant's security footage shows cops taking him into custody, but the restaurant owner says it does not show Floyd resisting #Arrest pic.twitter.com/LjIerm6BaX
— Sn00pdad (@sn00pdad) May 27, 2020
The events shown in the newly released footage contradict what officers originally reported happened at the scene. In a statement posted by the Minneapolis Police Department, Floyd “was ordered to step from his car. After he got out, he physically resisted officers.” The statement also described Floyd as suffering from “medical distress.”
Footage recorded by a bystander that takes place after these two videos paint a different story. In a nearly 10-minute long video, an officer is shown kneeling on Floy’s neck with Floyd struggling to breathe and pleading “please I can’t breathe” and “My stomach hurts. My neck hurts. Everything hurts.”
Chauvin is shown kneeling on Floyd for about 8 minutes, with bystanders pleading with the officers to let him breathe. The officer stays kneeling on his neck even after he appears to pass out and is no longer moving. All the while, a second officer, who is identified as Tou Thao, stands facing the gathering crowd.
An ambulance was called, and when paramedics arrive, they reached around the officer’s knee to feel for a pulse. Floyd was taken to a Hennepin County Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead shortly thereafter.
The original statement posted by the Minneapolis Police Department was later updated to reflect that “additional information has been made available,” and the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) will assist in the investigation.
The four officers involved have all been fired according to a tweet sent by Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. Floyd’s family is calling for the officers to be arrested and charged with murder.
The incident sparked outrage in the city, and hundreds of protestors descended upon Minneapolis Tuesday night, demanding justice for George Floyd.
Protestors targeted the precinct where the four officers were assigned. Protestors were seen throwing rocks at police vehicles and vandalizing the vehicles and precinct with graffiti.
The police used rubber bullets and tear gas against protestors. Some protestors could be seen with milk covering their faces in an attempt to counteract the gas.
This case has immediately drawn comparisons to Eric Garner, a black man who was killed by New York City Police officers back in 2014 after an officer held him in a chokehold over selling loose cigarettes. What happened to Garner was recorded by a bystander, with Garner repeatedly pleading, “I can’t breathe.” “I Can’t Breathe” became a rallying cry during protests against police brutality in the wake of Garner’s death.
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