Who was George Floyd?

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George Perry Floyd (age 46) moved to Minnesota for a fresh start, an opportunity to better himself and to be a better father. And while so many now know the Houston native by his full name, those who knew him best called him Floyd. He worked security at a restaurant where he developed a reputation as someone who had your back and was there for you when you were down. Floyd grew up in Houston's Third Ward neighborhood and graduated from Jack Yates High School where he played football and basketball. He was said not to have a hateful bone in his body. 

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What happened to him?

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On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a 46-year-old man, was killed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, during an arrest for allegedly using a counterfeit bill. Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, knelt on Floyd's neck for almost nine minutes while Floyd was handcuffed and lying face down in the street, begging for his life and repeatedly saying "I can't breathe". A second and third officer further restrained Floyd while a fourth prevented bystanders from intervening. During the final three minutes Floyd was motionless and had no pulse. After videos made by witnesses and security cameras became public, all four officers were fired the following day. Two autopsies found Floyd's death to be a homicide. Chauvin was initially charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, to which was later added second-degree murder; the three other officers, Tou Thao, Thomas Lane and J Alexander Kueng were charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder. 

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His death

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On the evening of Memorial Day, May 25, 2020, Floyd purchased cigarettes at Cup Foods, a grocery in the Powderhorn Park neighborhood of Minneapolis. A store employee believed Floyd had paid with a counterfeit $20 bill. Just before 8:00 pm, two Cup Foods employees left the store and crossed the street to an SUV parked in front of a restaurant; Floyd was in the driver's seat and two other adults were in the vehicle. The employees demanded that Floyd return the cigarettes, and he refused. At 8:08, officers Kueng and Lane arrived, briefly entering Cup Foods before crossing the street to Floyd's SUV. Lane drew his gun and ordered Floyd to put his hands on the steering wheel; Floyd complied and Lane holstered his weapon. Lane pulled Floyd from the SUV and handcuffed him. At 8:12, Kueng sat Floyd on the sidewalk against the wall in front of the restaurant. According to criminal complaints filed against the officers by state prosecutors, Floyd was "calm" and said "thank you". 

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At 8:13, Kueng and Lane told Floyd he was under arrest and walked him to their police car across the street. Floyd fell to the ground next to the car; the officers picked him up and placed him against the car's door. According to prosecutors, Floyd told the officers that he was not resisting, but that he was claustrophobic and did not want to sit in the car. At 8:17, a third police car arrived with officers Derek Michael Chauvin and Tou Thao, who joined Kueng and Lane.  According to prosecutors, Floyd told the officers he could not breathe while they tried to force him into the car. At 8:19, standing on the passenger side of the vehicle, Chauvin pulled Floyd across the backseat from the driver side to the passenger side, then out of the car. Floyd, still handcuffed, fell to the pavement where he lay on his chest with his cheek to the ground.  

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At 8:20, a witness across the street began recording video showing Chauvin kneeling on Floyd's neck, Kueng applying pressure to Floyd's torso, and Lane applying pressure to Floyd's legs, while Thao stood nearby. Floyd can be heard repeatedly saying "I can't breathe", "Please", and "Mama". Floyd repeated at least 16 times that he could not breathe. After Floyd said, "I'm about to die", Chauvin told him to "relax". An officer asked Floyd, "What do you want?"; Floyd answered, "I can't breathe". Floyd states: "Please, the knee in my neck, I can't breathe." 

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At approximately 8:22, the officers called for an ambulance on a non-emergency basis, escalating the call to emergency status a minute later. Chauvin continued to kneel on Floyd's neck. A passerby yelled to Floyd, "Well, get up, get in the car, man", and Floyd, still handcuffed and face down on the pavement, responded, "I can't", while Chauvin's knee remained on his neck. Floyd cried out "Mama!" Twice. Floyd said, "My stomach hurts, my neck hurts, everything hurts", requested water, and begged, "Don't kill me. One witness pointed out that Floyd was bleeding from the nose. Officer Thao said that Floyd was "talking, he's fine"; a witness replied that Floyd "ain't fine ... Get him off the ground ... You could have put him in the car by now. He's not resisting arrest or nothing. You're enjoying it. Look at you. Your body language explains it." As Floyd continued to cry for help, Thao said to witnesses: "This is why you don't do drugs, kids." 

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By 8:25, Floyd appeared unconscious, and bystanders confronted the officers about Floyd's condition. Chauvin pulled out mace to keep bystanders away as Thao moved between them and Chauvin. Bystanders repeatedly yelled that Floyd was "not responsive right now" and urged the officers to check his pulse. Kueng checked Floyd's wrist but found no pulse; the officers did not attempt to provide Floyd with medical assistance. According to the criminal complaint against Chauvin, Lane asked Chauvin twice if they should move Floyd onto his side, and Chauvin said no.  

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At 8:27 pm, a Hennepin County ambulance arrived. Emergency medical technicians checked Floyd's pulse. Chauvin kept his knee on Floyd's neck for almost a minute after the ambulance arrived, despite Floyd being silent and motionless. When he finally did lift his knee, it had been there for eight minutes and forty-six seconds. 

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 Floyd was lifted by paramedics onto a stretcher, then loaded into an ambulance which departed for Hennepin County Medical Center. En route, the ambulance requested assistance from the fire department At 8:32, firefighters arrived at Cup Foods; according to their report, the police officers gave no clear information regarding Floyd's condition or whereabouts, which delayed their ability to find the ambulance. Meanwhile, the ambulance reported that Floyd was entering cardiac arrest and again requested assistance, asking firefighters to meet them at the corner of 36th Street and Park Avenue. Five minutes later, the fire department reached the ambulance; two fire department medics who boarded the ambulance found Floyd unresponsive and pulseless. Floyd was pronounced dead at 9:25 at the Hennepin County Medical Center emergency room. 

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What happened with his case?

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A criminal complaint against Chauvin, issued May 29, cited preliminary results of an autopsy conducted by the Hennepin County medical examiner, which found "no physical findings that support a diagnosis of traumatic asphyxia or strangulation", but found that Floyd suffered from coronary artery disease and hypertensive heart disease. The complaint cited the preliminary opinion that the "combined effects of Mr. Floyd being restrained by the police, his underlying health conditions and any potential intoxicants in his system likely contributed to his death". Floyd's family commissioned a second autopsy, carried out by Michael Baden, a pathologist and former New York City chief medical examiner. He found that the "evidence is consistent with mechanical asphyxia as the cause of Floyd's death", and that the death was a homicide. He said Floyd died from "asphyxia due to compression of the neck", affecting "blood flow and oxygen going into the brain", and from "compression of the back, which interferes with breathing". He said Floyd had no underlying medical problem that caused or contributed to his death, and that being able to speak does not mean that someone is able to breathe. 

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Chauvin was arrested on May 29. Hennepin County attorney Mike Freeman charged him with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. On May 31, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison took over the case at the request of Governor Tim Walz. On June 3, Ellison amended the charges against Chauvin to include unintentional second-degree murder under the felony murder doctrine, alleging that Chauvin killed Floyd in the course of committing assault in the third degree. Ellison also charged the three other officers with aiding and abetting second-degree murder. Bail for Chauvin, who did not enter a plea, was set at $1.25 million, and for the three other officers $1 million. On June 10th officer Thomas Lane was released on Wednesday after posting his $750,000 bail.  

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On May 26, the FBI announced it was reviewing the incident at the request of the Minneapolis Police Department. On May 28, the United States Department of Justice released a joint statement with the FBI, saying that their investigation into Floyd's death was "a top priority" and outlining the investigation's next steps: a "comprehensive investigation will compile all available information and thoroughly evaluate evidence and information obtained from witnesses ... If it is determined that there has been a violation of federal law, criminal charges will be sought". 

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What can we do? 

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1. Sign the petition demanding justice for George Floyd

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2. Text Floyd to 55156 

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3. Donate to the Gianna Floyd Fund, the daughter of George Floyd

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4. Call to demand that the officers who killed George Floyd be arrested

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