George Floyd Identified As Man In Minneapolis Arrest Video, Said ‘I Cannot Breathe’ Repeatedly Before Dying
News reports indicate that George Floyd is the man who died in Minneapolis on Monday night after an officer kneeled on his neck during an arrest. A video of the arrest has gone viral and the reaction across the country to Floyd’s pleas that he couldn’t breathe has escalated quickly.
According to WCCO, the incident happened Monday night around 8 p.m. The police were called to a grocery store near the 3700 block of Chicago Avenue South when a man allegedly tried to use forged documents.
Once police arrived, they reportedly found the man described sitting in a blue car. Authorities say that he was intoxicated and that he physically resisted the officers when he was told to get out of the car. Officers managed to get the suspect handcuffed and as he was held down on the pavement, a bystander began to film.
The Video Clip Filmed By A Bystander Quickly Went Viral
A two-minute version of the video has been shared by TMZ and it spread rapidly on social media. The short but graphic clip focused on a white officer as he kneeled on the neck of Floyd. They were on the pavement behind the back end of a Minneapolis police car and Floyd could be heard multiple times saying that he could not breathe.
As a second officer stood nearby, keeping the bystanders away, people gathered and commented on what was happening. The second officer did not intervene in the situation with Floyd and his partner at any point during the videotape shared online.
For a few moments, Floyd could be heard grunting as he shifted his shoulders underneath the officer’s knee. The officers seemingly made no move to pull Floyd up and put him in the police car, and the knee remained on the suspect’s neck.
Several minutes into the full-length version of the video, Floyd stopped moving or making any sounds. The bystanders grew increasingly agitated, pointing out Floyd’s lack of movement and the fact that he appeared to be unconscious.
Reports indicate that the officer knelt like that on Floyd’s neck for at least seven minutes.
Floyd Died Shortly After Being Transported To The Hospital
An ambulance was eventually called and Floyd was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center. Police say he died shortly after that.
The full video is said to be more than nine minutes long and Floyd appeared to be unconscious from approximately the five-minute mark on. Bystanders shouted that Floyd’s pulse needed to be checked and that he didn’t seem to be breathing. However, the police officers on the scene did not do anything differently until medical personnel arrived.
Medaria Arrandondo, the police chief of the Minneapolis force, joined Mayor Jacob Frey for a press conference Tuesday morning. Arrandondo detailed that the two officers involved in the incident with Floyd have been “relieved of duty status” at this point. Both the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and federal authorities are investigating the case.
Attorney Benjamin Crump announced on his social media pages on Tuesday that he has been retained by Floyd’s family to represent them. Crump became familiar to many people when he represented Travyon Martin’s family after his 2012 death. As NY Mag noted, Crump has gone on to represent a number of other families facing similar circumstances as Floyd’s, including the family of Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, and Terence Crutcher.
As word of Floyd’s case spread, many people were immediately reminded of the Eric Garner case from several years ago. Garner died after being put in a chokehold by an NYPD officer. Before he lost consciousness, Garner repeatedly said that he couldn’t breathe, much like what Floyd was heard saying in the new Minneapolis video.
