FBI investigating arrest of Minneapolis man who died after being pinned down by an officer

Mayor Jacob Frey called the incident “horrible,” “traumatic,” and “completely and utterly messed up.”

A video of the arrest was recorded by a bystander and posted online, showing a white officer holding down a black man in his 40s by placing his knee on the man’s neck for several minutes. Before falling silent, the man told the officers, “I can’t breathe” and “please, I can’t breathe.” Bystanders told the officer that “he’s not breathing” and “he’s not responsive right now.” They urged the officer to check for a pulse.

After the publication of this report, the man was identified by Ben Crump, a prominent civil rights and personal injury attorney, as George Floyd. Crump was hired by Floyd’s family, according to the Associated Press.

The Minneapolis Police Department has had several controversial officer-involved shooting deaths in recent years, including the death of Jamar Clarke in 2015 and Justine Damond in 2017. The death of Clarke was deemed justified by the department after officers reported that he had reached for the officer’s weapon during the altercation. Damond’s death was ruled a murder, and the officer involved was sentenced to 12.5 years in prison for third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

The Minneapolis Police Department said Monday evening’s “altercation” took place after officers were called to respond to a “forgery in progress.” When officers arrived at the scene, they located the man described by the report and asked him to exit his vehicle. The department said Floyd “physically resisted officers.”

“Officers were able to get the suspect into handcuffs and noted he appeared to be suffering medical distress. Officers called for an ambulance. He was transported to Hennepin County Medical Center by ambulance where he died a short time later,” the department said.

Chief Medaria Arradondo acknowledged the department contacted the FBI and noted the officers involved with the arrest have been placed on paid leave as the investigation is being carried out.

“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.”

“I believe what I saw, and what I saw is wrong on every level,” Frey added. “This does not reflect the values Chief Arradondo has worked tirelessly to fulfill. To our black community, to the family: I’m so sorry.”

Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who is being vetted to as a potential running mate to Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential contest, called for a “complete and thorough outside investigation” of “yet another horrifying and gutwrenching instance of an African American man dying.”