The Federal Bureau of Investigations will now be part of the investigation surrounding an officer-involved incident in which a Minneapolis cop was filmed with his knee on the neck of a man who later died.
Footage, as reported by CBS News, shows a white officer with his knee on the neck of the man, who is heard alerting police multiple times that he is unable to breathe. Bystanders can be heard urging the officer to remove his knee.
"Everything hurts," the man, who's been identified on social media as George Floyd, says in the video. Eventually, an ambulance is seen arriving at the scene, at which point the man was transported to a local hospital.
Warning: The footage below is graphic.
In a press release, Minneapolis Police Department spokesperson John Elder said officers arrived on the scene shortly after 8:00 p.m. on Monday "on a report of a forgery in progress." Police also alleged that "he physically resisted officers" before being placed in handcuffs and "suffering medical distress." According to the press release, he died "a short time later" at Hennepin County Medical Center.
As graphic footage of the incident first shared by Facebook user Darnella Frazier started to spread, many rebuked those who were quick to defend the officer's actions by pointing out Minneapolis' unsettling history of police behavior:
Involved officers have been placed on paid administrative leave, which a regional CBS outlet notes is department protocol.
On Tuesday, the incident was roundly decried on social media as another example of abject police brutality:
TMZ reports that the four police officers involved with the incident have been fired. "This is the right call, Mayor Jacob Frey said.
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