4 Minneapolis police officers fired after video shows 1 kneeling on neck of man who later died

Protesters gather outside the Minneapolis storefront where George Floyd was arrested.
(Image credit: KEREM YUCEL/AFP via Getty Images)

Four Minneapolis police officers have been fired after one of them kneeled on the neck of a black man who later died, Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo announced Tuesday.

Video of the Monday incident shows a Minneapolis police officer kneeling on the neck of a black man, later revealed to be George Floyd, as he repeatedly told the officer "I can't breathe." Arradondo announced the unidentified officers' termination at a Tuesday press conference, with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey tweeting that this was "the right call."

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Minneapolis police were called to forgery in progress at a business in Minneapolis around 8 p.m. Monday. Police spokesman John Elder said earlier Tuesday that Floyd cooperated at first, but then "physically resisted" police. Bystander video shows a white officer kneeling on Floyd's neck as he said "I can't breathe" and "everything hurts" over and over, and as bystanders urged the officer to stop. Floyd was eventually taken to the hospital, where he died. The FBI and Minnesota's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension are investigating.

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Kathryn Krawczyk

Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.