A black man has died in Minneapolis police custody after a video shared online from a bypass showed a white officer kneeling on his neck during an arrest as he pleaded that He can't breathe.
His death, which occurred Monday night after a scuffle with police officers, was being investigated by the FBI and state agents. Minneapolis Police Chief Madeira Aradondo told reporters Tuesday morning about the use of the man's knee during the arrest.
'We have clear policies about controlling someone,' Arndondo said, referring to what has happened and how these policies are implemented. It will be part of a full investigation.
Officers were called in around 8 a.m. Monday to investigate a report of counterfeiting in business, according to police spokesman John Elder. Police found the man, believed to be in his 40s, to match the details of the suspect in his car.
He was ordered to step out of his car. Elder said in a statement that when he went out, he physically resisted the officers. Officers managed to handcuff the suspect and said he appeared to be in critical condition.
Police said the man, who could not be identified, was taken by ambulance to Hampden County Medical Center, where he died shortly afterward. The name of the officer who knelt down was not immediately released.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Appeals has joined the FBI in its investigation. All body camera footage has been given over to the BCA, which examines most police shootings and deaths in authority. The officials included have been put on paid administrative leave according to the protocol department.
The Star Tribune reported that Nikima Levy Armstrong, a well-known local activist, said the footage shared on social media made her stomach sick and said it was one of police brutality against African American men. And there is an example.
'Whatever this man did should not have ended with the death penalty,' he said. What started out as an alleged economic event was once again fatal to a black man.
Levy Armstrong said it reminded him of the Eric Garner case. He was a New York unarmed man who died in 2014 after being placed in a police checkpoint and pleaded with his life that he could not breathe. A grand jury later ruled against the officers involved in the nationwide protests.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Free on Tuesday morning called on people to take precautionary measures against the spread of the coronavirus. He said there was a need to ensure that everyone kept their opinions safe, and called on potential protesters to distance themselves from society.
'If you are upset, I feel like, if you are angry, it makes perfect sense. If you feel the need to protest, of course,' Free said. We want to make sure that people are able to express themselves but right now there is another threat, which is Covid-19.'
Police in Minneapolis has been investigating the deadly run with civilians in recent years. Jamar Clark, a 24-year-old black man, was shot in the head and died in 2015 after a clash with two white officers in response to an alleged attack. A county prosecutor refused to take legal action against the officers, saying Clark was fighting for an officer's gun when he was shot.
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| (Photo Source: Getty Images) |
Justin Rusk Demond, a white woman, died in 2017 when a Manipolis officer answered a 911 call after being shot in the abdomen. The officer, who is black, was convicted of murder and manslaughter and is serving a 12-year sentence.
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