BY PATRICK SADIKI | Kyangwali News Bureau | Kasonga
Kyangwali New’s Patrick Sadiki explains what started as stop by at a store (shop) led to the death of an innocent black man in the United states. As you read this article, there's a lot of looting, solidarity gatherings for the fallen U.S citizen and also some folks who have used the demonstrations to loot and steal property from different business premises.
George Floyd, a 46 years of age African American man died after being arrested by police outside a shop in the city of Minneapolis, Minnesota. He has been living in Minneapolis after relocating from his native Houston, in Texas. He had recently been working in the city as a bouncer, but like millions of other Americans was left jobless by the covid-19 pandemic.
This tragedy that led to the death of this man started in the evening of May 25th, when Mr. Floyd bought a pack of cigarettes from a grocery store in the city. Believing the $20 bill he used to be counterfeit money, a store employee called the police to report him of using a counterfeit $20 bill {£ 16.20}.
The events that led to his death evolved in just 30 minutes . Based on accounts from witnesses, a video footage and official statements, it is said that the video footage of the arrest that same day shows a white police officer, Derek Chauvin, kneeling on Mr. Floyd's neck while he was pinned to the floor. In a call to 911, the employee told the operator that they had handed Mr. Floyd a pack of cigarettes and after realizing the money he had used to pay with was counterfeit, they told him to return it but he resisted. The employee said the man appeared drunk and not in control of himself.
“I can’t breathe”
Shortly after the 911 call, two police officers arrived. Mr. Floyd was visiting with two other people in the car parked in a corner. After approaching the car, one of the officers, Thomas Lane pulled out a gun and ordered Mr. Floyd to show his hands. In an account of the incident, prosecutors do not explain why Mr. Lane thought it necessary to draw his gun on Floyd. Mr. Lane, the prosecutor said, put his hands on Mr. Floyd and pulled him out of the car. Then Mr. Floyd actively resisted being handcuffed. Once handcuffed though, Mr. Floyd complained while Mr. Lane explained that he was being arrested for possessing counterfeit currency. Police officers tried to put Mr. Floyd in their car and Mr. Floyd resisted. After a couple of minutes, Mr. Floyd stiffened and fell to the ground and told the officers that he was claustrophobic according to the report.
Mr. Chauvin arrived at the scene. He and other officers were involved in the attempt of putting Mr. Floyd in a police car. During this attempt, Mr. Chauvin pulled Floyd out of the passenger’s side, causing him to fall on the ground, the report says, he lay there, face down, still handcuffed. That’s when witnesses started filming Mr. Floyd who appeared very helpless. Floyd was unarmed and these moments captured on mobile phones and shared widely on social media, would prove to be Mr. Floyd’s last moments.
Floyd was retrained by officers, while Mr. Chauvin placed his left knee between his neck and head. “I can’t breathe” Mr. Floyd said repeatedly pleading for his mother and begging “please, please” for eight minutes and 46 seconds. Mr. Chauvin kept his knee on Mr. Floyd’s neck. The prosecutors report about six minutes into that period, Mr. Floyd became non- responsive. In videos of the incident, this is when Mr. Floyd felt silent, as bystanders urged the officers to check his pulse. Mr. Chauvin removed his knee from his neck motionlessly. Mr. Floyd was rolled to gurney and taken to Hennepin County Medical center in an ambulance. He was pronounced dead an hour later.
“Mr. Floyd was a regular at cup foods. He was a friendly face, a pleasant customer who never caused any trouble”, the store owner Mike Abummayaleh said. But Mr. Abumayyaleh was not at work on the day of the incident. In reporting the suspicious bill, the teenage employee was just following protocol.
Mr. Chauvin, 44 years old police officer, the killer of this innocent man, was charged with a third degree murder case , contrary to the first degree murder Mr. Flloyd’s family and their attorneys had requested.
Comments