While many questions unanswered about George Floyd’s killing — namely why a Minneapolis policeman used lethal force while arresting Floyd who can be clearly seen as not resisting – separate video footages have emerged – from a nearby restaurant and bystanders which piece together last few turbulent painful moments of George Floyd’s life.
It was a sad end to his life brought about by a visibly criminal act committed by a police officer not authorised to use the amount of force he used on George Floyd.
No wonder America is at war with itself.
It started with a report of an allegedly fake $20 bill. George Floyd had gone to Cup Foods to buy cigarettes and paid for with a $20 bill. He had come back to his car, was sitting in the driver seat, heavily intoxicated as the store workers told the 911 operator who complained alleging the bill Floyd had given them was fake.
Footage from the nearby CCTV camera shows that store workers first approached Floyd and his friends sitting in the car to get the cigarettes back but went back empty-handed before making the call to 911. That was at 7.57pm.
At 8.01 astaff member calls 911, telling the operator Floyd was intoxicated.
“He is awfully drunk and he’s not in control of himself” the staff member said.
Video 1:
At 8.08pm two police officers, Thomas Lane and JA Kueng arrive at the scene, first going into Cup Foods and then approach the van in which Floyd was sitting in the driver seat.
Lane goes to Floyd’s window, while Kueng goes to the other side of the car. Seconds later, Lane pulls Floyd out of the car, the video shows.
Police allege Floyd “actively resisted being handcuffed”.
Video 2:
According to a video obtained by the New York Times, recorded by the driver of the vehicle parked right behind Floyd’s car, does not show any real resistance put up by Floyd.
At 8.13pm, with his hands cuffed behind his back Lane walks Floyd towards the CCTV Cam2 camera and sits him on the ground. The video does not show any violence or resistance on Floyd’s part although there is no audio available for that few moments.
Within minutes the two officers walk Floyd to their police vehicle which was parked right outside Cup Foods. The CCTV footages records Floyd obediently walking with the police to their vehicle.
Soon two more police vehicles arrive at the scene including one at 8.14pm with police officers Derek Chauvin and Tou Thao.
Video 3:
Security camera footage from Cup Foods shows office Kueng struggling with Floyd in the back seat while Thao watches. Chauvin gets involved in the struggle to get Floyd into the car.
Some reports say Floyd was telling police officers he did not want to get in the car as he was claustrophobic.
According to the New York Times, “Chauvin pulls him (Floyd) through the backseat and onto the street. We don’t know why”. The time was 8.18pm.
Floyd then was lying on the pavement face down. That is when two witnesses started filming the arrest.
Video 4 & 5:
Footage from the first witness shows all four officers are now gathered around Floyd. The footage clearly shows Floyd lying on the ground face down with three police officers applying pressure to his neck, torso and legs.
Floyd, struggling to breathe, pleads with the officers:
At 8.20pm the first time we hear Floyd speak.
“I can’t breathe,” he told the officers.
“Please, please, please.
“I can’t breathe. The knee in my neck, I can’t breathe.
“Mama.”
One officer is heard telling Floyd to get up and into the car to which he says “I will”, but Chauvin continues to apply pressure to his neck.
In less than five minutes Floyd says 16 times “I can’t breathe”.
With Floyd’s face on the ground, and mouth being pressed against it with Chauvin’s knee pressed against Floyd’s neck, his lip starts to bleed.
At 8.22pm a call is made for non-emergency medical help which is later upgraded to emergency at 8.23pm.
Chauvin continues to put pressure.
At 8.25pm, Floyd loses consciousness and becomes unresponsive. Chauvin does not remove his knee.
At 8.27pm the ambulance arrives and after being asked by the paramedic to lift his knee, at 8.28pm Chauvin finally stops pressing down Floyd ‘s neck.
Chauvin kept his knee on Floyd neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds.
Before losing his consciousness, Floyd pleaded with the officers perhaps the best he could.
“I’m through,” and repeatedly cries out in anguish, the video shows.
“My stomach hurts. My neck hurts. Everything hurts. I need some water or something, please. Please,” he says.
Floyd also tells the witnesses, “They’re going to kill me, man,” and then to the officers, “Don’t kill me.”
When Floyd stopped moving, witnesses told officers over and over to check his pulse.
According to CNN, Kueng checks Floyd’s right wrist for a pulse and reports, “I couldn’t find one,” according to the probable cause statement.
CNN further claimed Chauvin kept his knee on Floyd’s neck for two minutes and 53 seconds after he became unresponsive.
George Floyd was pronounced dead at a hospital. In the report on Floyd’s death the Hennepin County medical examiner wrote that being restrained by police, underlying health conditions and “any potential intoxicants in his system likely contributed to his death.”
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