Who is George Floyd? (Man Died in Police Custody); Biography, Age, Career, Death, Protests

On Memorial Day, May 25, in the 3700 block of Chicago Avenue South, George Floyd was pinned on the ground by a Minneapolis police officer and he repeatedly said he can’t breathe before he stopped speaking and moving altogether. A police report later said he died at the hospital.

George Floyd Biography

George Floyd was from Houston, Texas, and was nicknamed “Big Floyd”. According to friends Floyd worked as a security guard at Conga Latin Bistro in Minneapolis. In a twitter post by Paul Blume;

DEVELOPING: We are hearing from George Floyd’s roommate here in MN, “it’s real painful to see… he wasn’t a bad person.” He says they both worked together at the Conga Latin Bistro in #Mpls #GeorgeFloyd pic.twitter.com/4RcatEuuTj

— Paul Blume (@PaulBlume_FOX9) May 26, 2020

It read, “DEVELOPING: We are hearing from George Floyd’s roommate here in MN, “It’s real painful to see.. he wasn’t a bad person.” He says they both worked together at the Conga Latin Bistro in #Mpls #GeorgeFloyd

George Floyd Age 

At the time of his death, George Floyd was in his early 40s.

George Floyd Death 

George Floyd died in police custody after a video showed a Minneapolis police officer kneeling on the back of his head and neck for several minutes. Floyd was identified as the victim by his sister on Facebook. Floyd’s sister Vanita Williams-Dabney wrote on Facebook, “My bro was killed by Minneapolis police on Memorial Day R.I.P bro we will get justice for u. gone2soon..loveU4life.”

 

The video of the incident was posted on Facebook. In the video, Floyd can be seen on the ground near a police SUV, yelling out that he is pain, “Please, please, please I can’t breathe, please man,” Floyd can be heard saying, while moaning and crying. The officer, Chauvin, can be seen with his knee pressed into the back of Floyd’s head and neck while another officer, Tau Thao walks around.

Bystanders record the whole incident while at the same time begging the officers to let him up and to let him breathe, Floyd cries out, “I’m about to die.” Chauvin tells him to relax and asks, “what do you want?” Floyd then responds, “I can’t breathe. Please, the knee in my neck, I can’t breathe sir.” Floyd then calls out “momma” as Chauvin yells at him. Floyd then says, “my stomach hurts, my neck hurts, everything hurts,” and asks for water.

The video then shows Floyd, who is handcuffed behind his back, motionless with his face on the pavement as bystanders plead he be put in the police car. When EMT’s arrive at the scene, the officer lifts his knee, and Floyd’s head hangs limp as the medics move him to a stretcher, while still handcuffed behind his back.

A photo from the other side of the street shows two other officers kneeling on Floyd and holding him down during the incident. One officer has his knee near Floyd’s back and the other is holding down his legs. Those officers have not yet been identified as they are blocked from view by the police SUV in the video.

George Floyd Investigation 

Minneapolis police released a statement saying the man, died following a medical incident, claiming he suffered medical distress during a police interaction.

In the police statement, it said officers were responding to reports of a forgery in process and that the man, who “appeared to be under the influence 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 then transported to Hennepin County Medical Center by ambulance where he died a short time later,” read the statement.

The statement confirmed that no weapons were used during the incident and no officers were injured. Minneapolis Police say the FBI has now joined with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to investigate the incident.

An update from the department’s PIO: pic.twitter.com/DZDLHp99Wd

— Libor Jany (@StribJany) May 26, 2020

Attorney Benjamin Crump, who has represented the families of several victims in civil rights cases, including the families of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown, said on Twitter.

We have been informed that the man killed by Minneapolis police was named George Floyd. #JusticeForFloyd #icantbreathe pic.twitter.com/76e3UA9JAK

— Benjamin Crump, Esq. (@AttorneyCrump) May 26, 2020

It read, “We have been informed that the man killed by Minneapolis police was named George Floyd. #JusticeForFloyd #icantbreathe,”

Crump will be representing Floyd’s family. In a statement, he said, “We all watched the horrific death of George Floyd on video as witnesses begged the police officer to take him into the police car and get off his neck. This abusive, excessive, and inhumane use of force cost the life of a man who was being detained by the police for questioning about a non-violent charge.”

Police-Involved in George Floyd Death

The officer in the video seen kneeling on Floyd was identified by the Minneapolis Star Tribune as Officer Derek Chauvin. Chauvin’s partner, Tou Thao is seen in the video ignoring bystanders who were begging Chauvin to get off of Floyd. Four of the officers involved in the incident have been fired, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey announced Tuesday.

Reactions to George Floyd’s Death

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said in a statement on Tuesday, “Being black in America should not be a death sentence. For five minutes, we watched as a white officer pressed his knee into the neck of a black man. For five minutes. When you hear someone calling for help, you are supposed to help. This officer failed in the most basic human sense.”

He added, “What happened on Chicago and 38th last night is awful. It was traumatic. It serves as a reminder of how far we have to go. Whatever the investigation reveals, it does not change the simple truth, he should still be with us this morning.”

Governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz said on Twitter:

The lack of humanity in this disturbing video is sickening. We will get answers and seek justice. https://t.co/OtDlapBlAK

— Governor Tim Walz (@GovTimWalz) May 26, 2020

It read, “The lack of humanity in this disturbing video is sickening. We will get answers and seek justice.”

George Floyd Protests 

Protests have erupted in the streets of Minneapolis following the death of George Floyd. The crowd that started at a vigil for Floyd quickly swelled to thousands with activists participating in chants of “No justice, no peace.” They also held chants of “I can’t breathe,” the same words spoken by Floyd as he was on the ground.

A better look at the crowd size of the Minneapolis march for #GeorgeFloyd pic.twitter.com/u0pg0hf4bD

— Ryan Faircloth (@RyanFaircloth) May 26, 2020

The protesters marched east down 38th Street where the incident took place, in the direction of the third precinct.

The view of the protest from the top of a building next door. @mprnews pic.twitter.com/prBI5cJl1g

— Evan Frost (@efrostee) May 26, 2020

Protests are taking place across all streets of Minneapolis to call for justice in the killing of George Floyd.

Protest broke out all over the streets of Minneapolis to call for justice in the killing of #GeorgeFloyd: https://t.co/SYwj2LrDhc

pic.twitter.com/C9FRL0FlpN

— Complex (@Complex) May 27, 2020

Michael Rapaport commented of the killing on a tweeter post;

What if there was NO Cell Phone Footage?
Make America Civilized for Once

#GeorgeFloyd pic.twitter.com/DfyJsZmT5r

— MichaelRapaport (@MichaelRapaport) May 26, 2020

What if there was NO cell Phone Footage? Make America Civilized for once.