Fox News’ Sean Hannity denounced the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, while in police custody.
The prime-time host, a well-known police supporter, said he was disturbed by the police officer who applied his knee to the back of Floyd’s neck on Monday for approximately eight minutes until he was unresponsive. During his show Wednesday, more than half of which he spent discussing the case, Hannity showed new footage of the incident and tried not to “rush to judgment” but added, “Floyd is not in any way resisting arrest.”
“You know, I’m a big supporter of law enforcement. I am,” he said. “Everybody knows that. I say 99.9% of officers — they are good people. They protect and serve their communities. The officer has his hands on his pocket with the knee on his neck. The lack of training here is breathtaking. There is no evidence right here in this part of the tape prior to the neck incident … This is not a violent crime we’re talking about. We are talking about some suspected forgery of some kind.”
According to police, Floyd, 46, died after arriving at the hospital. The FBI, Department of Justice, and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension are investigating the incident. The four officers who were involved in the incident have been fired.
“Now, this went on for eight straight minutes. Again, what is the most serious, sensitive area, you know, of a person in terms of an arrest? From a martial arts standpoint, it is a targeted strike where one strike on the carotid artery could literally bring somebody and knock them right down to their knees, one shot,” Hannity continued, focusing on the application of pressure to Floyd’s neck despite his being subdued.
“Putting somebody’s knee on somebody’s neck is extraordinarily hurtful and dangerous from somebody’s neck point,” he added.
Hannity later had Fox News contributor Dan Bongino, a former U.S. Secret Service agent, and Bernard Kerik, a former New York police commissioner, on to discuss the incident. Neither of them could explain the actions of the law enforcement officers.
