Four officers have been fired following the death of an unarmed black man taken into custody in Minneapolis, Mayor Jacob Frey announced on Twitter.
The man has been identified as George Floyd.
via CBS:
Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo said that four officers are now “former employees” with the department, CBS Minnesota reports. Frey said the firing was the “right call.”
The death of the man identified by a family attorney as George Floyd has drawn outrage after video showed an officer kneeling on Floyd’s neck as he cried out that he couldn’t breathe. Floyd had been arrested outside a deli on suspicion of forgery. He died later at a hospital.
Arradondo did not identify the former officers by name, the station reports.
Speaking at a press conference Tuesday, Frey said what happened was “wrong at every level.”
“This does not reflect the values that Chief Arradondo has worked tirelessly to instill. It does not represent the training we’ve invested in or the measures we’ve taken to ensure accountability. Being black in America should not be a death sentence,” Frey said.
The attorney representing Floyd’s family called it abusive and excessive. The police union urged against a rush to judgment.
Not only do they need to be fired, but the officers need to face charges.
