Four US agents in the US city of Minneapolis were fired on Tuesday for involvement in the death of an unarmed black man.
The late man, George Floyd, was detained on Monday by police on suspicion of falsification. Bystander video footage shows a white police officer pushing his knee into Floyd’s neck.
While Floyd is lying on the floor, he and bystanders shout several times to the police officers that he cannot breathe. The agent stays on his neck for minutes, after which the victim no longer responds. He was taken to hospital where he later dies.
According to the Minneapolis police chief, the agents involved in the incident were fired. Also, according to Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, it is wrong in every way what happened. “This agent failed at this basic human value,” said Frey. “Being black shouldn’t mean a death sentence.”
Police are allowed to kneel on neck in Minneapolis
The FBI is still investigating whether the agent who put his knee to Floyd’s neck will be prosecuted for murder. Kneeling on the neck of a suspect is allowed in Minneapolis, provided he opposes his arrest. However, according to Floyd’s family lawyer, he did not use violence in his arrest.
The incident is reminiscent of the death of Eric Garner in 2014, a black man who died after being strangled by white police to illegally sell cigarettes.
The death of Garner and several unarmed African Americans, including the teenage Michael Brown in Ferguson, sparked fierce protests in the US that year. The black community thinks that mainly white police officers do not treat them equally.
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