Man dies in Minneapolis police custody; 4 cops fired; Walz wants answers
Four Minneapolis police officers are fired for their part in the death of a black man who was held in a knee while protesting his inability to breathe, officials said Tuesday.
The FBI is investigating the incident, which led to widespread condemnation of the officers after a video showing part of the meeting circulated on social networks.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said the technique that used to hold the man's head in the background was against department regulations.
After several minutes of pleading with a politician who pressed a knee to the back of his neck, the person appeared immobile, with his eyes closed and his head resting on the pavement.
Officers responding to an alleged forgery in progress Monday night were initially told that one person later described why the suspect was sitting in a car and appeared to be under the influence, police said.A couple of officers located the person, who was at the time inside the car and who police said "physically resisted" the officers when ordered to leave. The officers handcuffed the person, who "appeared to be suffering from medical problems," according to police. He died in a hospital shortly thereafter, police said.
The four officers were "separated from employment," police spokesman Officer Garrett Parten said Tuesday."I support their decisions, 100 percent," Frey said in a statement about the dismissal of Captain Medaria Arradondo from the officers. "It's the right decision for our city. The right decision for our community is the right decision for the local Minneapolis department.Frey, speaking later during a government building broadcast on Facebook, said the officer had no reason to use the grip on the man's neck.
"The technique that was used is not allowed; it's not a way for our officers to train," he said. "And our boss has been very clear about that. There's no reason to use that kind of pressure with a knee on someone's neck.The video shows two of the person's officers at the bottom, one of them with his knee on the back of the man's neck. The video did not capture what led to the arrest or what the police described as the man's assault."Please, I can't breathe," the person said, screaming for several minutes before becoming silent. Viewers urged the officer to release the person from his grip.
Civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, during a statement, identified the person as George Floyd and said he was representing his family. The mayor also identified him on Twitter.
"We all saw George Floyd's gruesome death on video as witnesses begged the cop to force him onto the cruise ship and get off his neck," Crump said. "This abusive, excessive and inhumane use of force cost the life of a person who was arrested by the police for questioning a few non-violent charges.
News footage showed small groups of protesters waving signs and shouting "No Justice, No Peace" in front of a Minneapolis compound Tuesday afternoon. Some motorists honked their horns in support.
Another protest was planned near a makeshift memorial to Floyd at the scene Tuesday night, reported WCCO TV, a CNN affiliate. It had been organized by local activist groups, including the Minneapolis NAACP.
Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar via Twitter called the incident "another horrific and heartbreaking instance of an African-American man dying.
Frey offered his condolences to the man's family on Tuesday, adding that "what we saw was horrible, completely and utterly disheveled.
"For five minutes, we watched a white officer press his knee against the neck of a black man," Frey told reporters.
"When you hear someone calling for help, you are alleged to be helping. This officer failed in the most elementary human sense. What happened in Chicago and 38 this last night is just awful. It was traumatic and it's a stark reminder of how far we have to travel."Being black in America," Frey said, should not be "a death sentence."
Minneapolis Federation police said in a statement that officials were cooperating in the investigation.
"Now is not the time to rush to (judge) and immediately condemn our officers," the statement said. "The officers' actions and training protocol will be carefully reviewed after the officers have provided their statements.In a Facebook video posted Monday, passersby urged the officer to move the person away. Two officers drove the person on the bottom while another was nearby with his eyes on the passers-by as traffic passed in the background.
Minneapolis captain Medaria Arradondo says the officers involved are inactive.
"My stomach hurts," the person told the officer. "My neck hurts. Everything hurts."At one point the person said, "Give me some water or something. Please. Please."
"His nose is bleeding," said one lady of the person."It's not even assault," said one man. "He doesn't respond right away, brother."Frey said he understood the anger within the community, but reminded potential protesters that "there is another danger right away which is Covid-19."We have to confirm that all those who protest and express their opinion are kept safe and their families are also protected," he said. "So please practice safe distancing, please wear a mask.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz tweeted Tuesday: "The lack of humanity during this disturbing video is disgusting. We will get answers and seek justice.
The mayor of St. Paul, Minnesota, Melvin Carter, called the video of the incident "one of the most vile and heartbreaking images I have ever seen.
"The officer who was on duty is simply as responsible as his partner; both must be held fully accountable," Carter tweeted. "This must stop now."
Paige Fernandez, an ACLU policy adviser, said the incident was reminiscent of the 2014 death of Eric Garner in New York City, who repeated "I can't breathe" several times after being held by a police officer during a strangulation. Garner died during the arrest; the incident was also captured on video.
"Even in places like Minneapolis, where stranglings are technically prohibited, police attack blacks for low-level crimes and subject them to unnecessary and unreasonable violence," Fernandez said in a statement.
The county doctor will identify the victim once a preliminary autopsy has been performed, officials said.
The FBI is investigating the incident, which led to widespread condemnation of the officers after a video showing part of the meeting circulated on social networks.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said the technique that used to hold the man's head in the background was against department regulations.
After several minutes of pleading with a politician who pressed a knee to the back of his neck, the person appeared immobile, with his eyes closed and his head resting on the pavement.
Officers responding to an alleged forgery in progress Monday night were initially told that one person later described why the suspect was sitting in a car and appeared to be under the influence, police said.A couple of officers located the person, who was at the time inside the car and who police said "physically resisted" the officers when ordered to leave. The officers handcuffed the person, who "appeared to be suffering from medical problems," according to police. He died in a hospital shortly thereafter, police said.
The four officers were "separated from employment," police spokesman Officer Garrett Parten said Tuesday."I support their decisions, 100 percent," Frey said in a statement about the dismissal of Captain Medaria Arradondo from the officers. "It's the right decision for our city. The right decision for our community is the right decision for the local Minneapolis department.Frey, speaking later during a government building broadcast on Facebook, said the officer had no reason to use the grip on the man's neck.
"The technique that was used is not allowed; it's not a way for our officers to train," he said. "And our boss has been very clear about that. There's no reason to use that kind of pressure with a knee on someone's neck.The video shows two of the person's officers at the bottom, one of them with his knee on the back of the man's neck. The video did not capture what led to the arrest or what the police described as the man's assault."Please, I can't breathe," the person said, screaming for several minutes before becoming silent. Viewers urged the officer to release the person from his grip.
Civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, during a statement, identified the person as George Floyd and said he was representing his family. The mayor also identified him on Twitter.
"We all saw George Floyd's gruesome death on video as witnesses begged the cop to force him onto the cruise ship and get off his neck," Crump said. "This abusive, excessive and inhumane use of force cost the life of a person who was arrested by the police for questioning a few non-violent charges.
News footage showed small groups of protesters waving signs and shouting "No Justice, No Peace" in front of a Minneapolis compound Tuesday afternoon. Some motorists honked their horns in support.
Another protest was planned near a makeshift memorial to Floyd at the scene Tuesday night, reported WCCO TV, a CNN affiliate. It had been organized by local activist groups, including the Minneapolis NAACP.
Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar via Twitter called the incident "another horrific and heartbreaking instance of an African-American man dying.
Frey offered his condolences to the man's family on Tuesday, adding that "what we saw was horrible, completely and utterly disheveled.
"For five minutes, we watched a white officer press his knee against the neck of a black man," Frey told reporters.
"When you hear someone calling for help, you are alleged to be helping. This officer failed in the most elementary human sense. What happened in Chicago and 38 this last night is just awful. It was traumatic and it's a stark reminder of how far we have to travel."Being black in America," Frey said, should not be "a death sentence."
Minneapolis Federation police said in a statement that officials were cooperating in the investigation.
"Now is not the time to rush to (judge) and immediately condemn our officers," the statement said. "The officers' actions and training protocol will be carefully reviewed after the officers have provided their statements.In a Facebook video posted Monday, passersby urged the officer to move the person away. Two officers drove the person on the bottom while another was nearby with his eyes on the passers-by as traffic passed in the background.
Minneapolis captain Medaria Arradondo says the officers involved are inactive.
"My stomach hurts," the person told the officer. "My neck hurts. Everything hurts."At one point the person said, "Give me some water or something. Please. Please."
"His nose is bleeding," said one lady of the person."It's not even assault," said one man. "He doesn't respond right away, brother."Frey said he understood the anger within the community, but reminded potential protesters that "there is another danger right away which is Covid-19."We have to confirm that all those who protest and express their opinion are kept safe and their families are also protected," he said. "So please practice safe distancing, please wear a mask.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz tweeted Tuesday: "The lack of humanity during this disturbing video is disgusting. We will get answers and seek justice.
The mayor of St. Paul, Minnesota, Melvin Carter, called the video of the incident "one of the most vile and heartbreaking images I have ever seen.
"The officer who was on duty is simply as responsible as his partner; both must be held fully accountable," Carter tweeted. "This must stop now."
Paige Fernandez, an ACLU policy adviser, said the incident was reminiscent of the 2014 death of Eric Garner in New York City, who repeated "I can't breathe" several times after being held by a police officer during a strangulation. Garner died during the arrest; the incident was also captured on video.
"Even in places like Minneapolis, where stranglings are technically prohibited, police attack blacks for low-level crimes and subject them to unnecessary and unreasonable violence," Fernandez said in a statement.
The county doctor will identify the victim once a preliminary autopsy has been performed, officials said.
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