George Floyd - 10 things to know with detail
- 1. George Floyd was a 46-year-old African American man who was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina on October 14, 1973.
- 2. He moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota in 2014 to start a new life and seek better job opportunities.
- 3. On May 25, 2020, George Floyd was arrested by four Minneapolis police officers for allegedly using a counterfeit $20 bill at a convenience store.
- 4. During the arrest, one of the officers, Derek Chauvin, knelt on George Floyd's neck for over nine minutes, despite Floyd repeatedly saying he couldn't breathe and pleading for his life.
- 5. The incident was captured on video by a bystander and went viral, sparking nationwide protests against police brutality and systemic racism.
- 6. George Floyd's death was ruled a homicide by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office, citing "cardiopulmonary arrest complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression."
- 7. The four officers involved in George Floyd's arrest were fired the day after his death, and Derek Chauvin was charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and manslaughter.
- 8. The other three officers, Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng, and Tou Thao, were charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.
- 9. George Floyd's death sparked a global movement for racial justice and police reform, with protests taking place in cities around the world.
- 10. The trial of Derek Chauvin and the three other officers is set to begin in March 2021, with the outcome being closely watched by the public as a symbol of accountability for police violence against Black Americans.