President Donald Trump said on May 27 he has ordered the Department of Justice (DOJ) and FBI to expedite an investigation into the death of George Floyd, a handcuffed African-American man who told police he could not breathe and later died in custody.
“I have asked for this investigation to be expedited and greatly appreciate all of the work done by local law enforcement,” he said. “My heart goes out to George’s family and friends. Justice will be served!”
“I cannot breathe! I cannot breathe!” Floyd yelled as witnesses gathered. He added, “Don’t kill me!”
“My stomach hurts, my neck hurts, everything hurts ... I can’t breathe,” Floyd said while under the officer’s restraint.
“He’s talking, so he’s breathing,” an officer said, before Floyd gradually became motionless.
The Minneapolis Fire Department was called to the scene.
Minneapolis police said in a statement on Tuesday that officers were responding to a report of forgery when the man resisted. According to the statement, Floyd died after “suffering medical distress.”
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said in a news conference that he “saw no threat,” adding that he “saw nothing that would signal that this kind of force was necessary.”
“We cannot turn a blind eye, it is on us as leaders to see this for what it is and call it what it is,” the mayor said. “George Floyd deserves justice, his family deserves justice, the black community deserves justice, and our city deserves justice.”
Floyd’s death is also under investigation by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
Meanwhile, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office said it will “announce [their] decision on prosecution” in the future.
“We promise a thorough, expedited review consistent with our on-going commitment to justice. Every person is entitled to fairness; no person stands above the law,” a statement from the office said.
The president earlier, during a trip to Florida, described Floyd’s death as a “very, very sad” situation, when asked by reporters whether the officers involved in the incident should be prosecuted.
“We’re going to look at it and we’re going to get a report tomorrow when we get back,” Trump said. “We’re going to get a very full report but a very sad day.”
All four officers involved in Floyd’s arrest—Derek Chauvin, Thomas Lane, Tou Thao, and J. Alexander Kueng—have been fired from the Minneapolis Police Department, according to a news release issued by the Minneapolis Department of Public Safety.
“This is the right call,” Frey said of the decision on Twitter.
