Minnesota Police officers sacked over killing of unarmed black man

Four Minnesota police officers linked to what was a gory killing of an unarmed black man, George Floyd, have been dismissed, Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo announced on Tuesday.

The incident which took place on Monday received a huge public outcry after a five-minute footage caught a white officer pinning his knee against the suspect’s neck, strangling him to death.

Floyd who was suspected to have been involved in an alleged forgery at a nearby business close to Chicago Avenue South was sitting in his car supposedly ‘under the influence’ when the police arrested him.

He was said to have “physically resisted officers” once he was out of his car and was immediately handcuffed and pinned to the ground, under an officer’s knee, till he bled from his nose.

In the video shared on social media, Tuesday, Floyd became unconscious after he was heard yelling, “I cannot breathe! I cannot breathe!” “Don’t kill me!”

Minneapolis police spokesman, John Elder stated in a news briefing that the “Officers called for an ambulance. He was transported to Hennepin County Medical Center where he died a short time later.”

“For five minutes we watched as a white officer pressed his knee to the neck of a black man. For five minutes…When you hear someone calling for help, you are supposed to help. This officer failed in the most basic human sense. What happened…was simply awful.” The Mayor of Minneapolis, Jacob Frey said.

Meanwhile, with the support of the Mayor, the four officers involved in the killing have been fired from service as residents moved to organize a citywide protest.