Four officers from the Minneapolis Police Department have been fired following the death of a man who was pinned down during an arrest.
Police Chief Medaria Arradondo announced Tuesday that four officers were fired following a viral video that showed George Floyd, a black man, becoming unresponsive as an officer pinned him to the ground by holding a knee against his neck. The fired officers were not named by the department, but one officer was identified by his lawyer as Derek Chauvin.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey commended Arradondo’s decision to fire the officers.
“It is the right decision for our city,” Frey said. “We’ve stated our values, and ultimately, we need to live by them.”
Minneapolis Police were called to investigate a report of a “forgery in progress” when they confronted Floyd, who was seated in his vehicle. The department said that Floyd physically resisted officers when they asked him to exit the vehicle, which prompted the officers to handcuff the man.
Footage from the arrest showed Floyd pleading with the officer to get off him while saying, “I can’t breathe.” Bystanders who filmed the arrest shouted at the officers to let the man up, saying: “He’s not breathing. He’s not responsive right now.”
Floyd died after arriving at the hospital, according to police. The FBI and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension are investigating the incident.
“Being black in America should not be a death sentence,” the mayor said. “For five minutes, we watched a white officer press his knee into a black man’s neck. Five minutes. When you hear someone calling for help, you’re supposed to help. This officer failed in the most basic, human sense.”
