Four police officers have been fired following the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who was taken into custody in Minneapolis, city officials said Tuesday.
Floyd’s death drew outrage after video emerged showing an officer kneeling on Floyd’s neck as he cried out that he couldn’t breathe. Floyd had been arrested Monday outside a deli on suspicion of forgery. He died later at a hospital.
What happened was “wrong at every level,” an emotional Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey told media Tuesday.
“For five minutes we watched as a white officer pressed his knee to the neck of a black man. For five minutes,” Frey said. “When you hear someone calling for help, you are supposed to help. This officer failed in the most basic human sense. What happened … was simply awful.”
“This does not reflect the values that Chief Arradondo has worked tirelessly to instill. It does not represent the training we’ve invested in or the measures we’ve taken to ensure accountability. Being black in America should not be a death sentence,” Frey said.
Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo echoed Mayor Frey’s comments Tuesday that firing the officers involved was the right call.
“When Mayor Frey appointed me as chief of the Minneapolis police department, I was very steadfast and strong on what our department vision, values and culture change would be moving forward. One of those pillars is sanctity of life,” Arradondo said. “We know there are inherent dangers in the profession of policing but the vast majority of the work we do never require the use of force.”
WIBC host Tony Katz offered commentary on the horrific incident Tuesday morning. Click below to listen.
https://omny.fm/shows/tony-katz-and-the-morning-news/four-minneapolis-cops-fired
