Murder of George Floyd
2020 police murder of a black man in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Derek Chauvin, a police officer, murdered George Floyd, a 46 year old African-American man, during an arrest on May 25, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.[3] The murder started the George Floyd protests against racism in the United States and in other countries.
Date | May 25, 2020; 4 years ago (2020-05-25) |
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Time | c. 8:08–8:28 pm (CDT)[1][2] |
Location | Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. |
Coordinates | 44.9343°N 93.2624°W / 44.9343; -93.2624 |
Cause | choke |
Participants |
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Deaths | George Floyd |
Charges |
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Location of Minneapolis, where the event took place, in Hennepin County and in the state of Minnesota. |
George Floyd was a 46 year old African-American man from Houston, Texas. Chauvin, a police officer of the Minneapolis Police Department, killed Floyd while he was under arrest for using counterfeit cash. Chauvin put his knee on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes while Floyd was gasping for breath. Witnesses said Floyd told the officers, "I can't breathe" many times before he lost consciousness. This happened in the Powderhorn area of Minneapolis.[4][5][6]
The event was recorded on many mobile phones. Four officers involved were fired the next day. The Federal Bureau of Investigation announced a federal civil rights investigation into the incident.[4] It had an impact on law enforcement.
In late May, after days of protests, the officer who killed Floyd, Derek Chauvin, was charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter.[7][8] The charge was later changed to second-degree murder.[9] The three other officers were charged on June 3 with aiding and abetting second-degree murder, meaning they are charged with helping Chauvin kill Floyd.[9]
Chauvin's trial began on March 9, 2021.[10] On April 20, 2021, a jury found Chauvin guilty.[11] On June 25, Chauvin was given a sentence of 22 years and six months in prison.[12]