024 - 2ND JUNE 2020 - What do we know about George Floyd and his death? - INDEPENDENT,

George Floyd’s killing has sparked furious protests the like of which the US hasn’t seen in decades

Andrew Naughtie @andrewnaughtie
1 day ago 

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The killing of George Floyd by a white police officer in Minneapolis has resulted in the longest, largest and most violent eruption of protests and riots that’s been seen in the US for half a century. For more than a week, tens of thousands of people have marched in the streets of their cities, often being met by police equipped with tear gas, nightsticks and rubber bullets.

Here’s what we know about Mr Floyd, his death, and what’s transpired since.

Who was George Floyd?

Mr Floyd was a 46-year-old native of Houston, Texas. He moved to Minneapolis two years ago.

He is spoken of fondly by friends from home, who knew him as a “gentle giant” – a humble, athletic man who was well liked. At Yates High School, Floyd had been a star on the football team, and played in the 1992 state championships.


After losing his job and serving a jail sentence for armed robbery, in which he took a plea deal, Floyd helped create a basketball court ministry at housing projects in the neighbourhood and became an anti-gun violence advocate.


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In Minneapolis, where he moved for a fresh start, Floyd worked two jobs at one point. The owner of Conga Latin Bistro, where he worked as a bouncer prior to losing work in the coronavirus pandemic, described him as “always cheerful”.

“He had a good attitude,” Jovanni Tunstrom told ABC11. “He would dance badly to make people laugh. I tried to teach him how to dance because he loved Latin music, but I couldn’t because he was too tall for me. He always called me ‘Bossman.’ I said, ‘Floyd, don’t call me Bossman. I’m your friend.”

A devoted father to his six-year-old daughter, who he had planned to bring out from Houston to Minneapolis, Floyd was also engaged to be married. His fiancee Courteney Ross described him as “nothing but an angel that was sent to us on earth”.

George Floyd death: Minneapolis protests erupt in the streets
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What were the circumstances of his death?

The circumstances of Mr Floyd’s death have been documented in great detail.

Mr Floyd was apprehended by four police officers after a deli owner called 911 and accused him of buying cigarettes with a forged banknote, also telling the dispatcher that he was “awfully drunk” and had lost self-control.

The officers were Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng, Tou Thao, and Derek Chauvin. Two of them, Mr Thao and Mr Chauvin, have previously been the subject of internal complaints; Mr Chauvin has previously been involved in three police shootings, one of which was fatal.


After the officers struggled to get Mr Floyd into the back seat of their car, Mr Chauvin pulled him out of the car and onto the street. At this point, Mr Chauvin and two of the others held him down on the ground, with Mr Chauvin kneeling on his neck for almost nine minutes.

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New video shows George Floyd being dragged from his car

Mr Floyd repeatedly told Mr Chauvin he couldn’t breathe, while bystanders implored him to remove his knee. After Mr Floyd apparently lost consciousness, an ambulance arrived — but Mr Chauvin did not stop kneeling on Mr Floyd until one of the paramedics told him to.

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