PROTESTERS and police officers have violently clashed over the death of George Floyd a day after harrowing video of his arrest went viral on social media.
Massive crowds gathered in Minnesota on Tuesday night to demonstrate at the site where the 46-year-old was violently arrested and killed on Monday.
Protesters in Minneapolis faced off against cops in a heated demonstration after the death of George Floyd[/caption]
Massive crowds flooded the streets of Minneapolis on Tuesday night[/caption]
Hundreds of protesters marched about two miles from the 3700 block of Chicago Avenue, where Floyd was arrested for suspicion of forgery outside the deli in Minneapolis ,according to CBS News.
Protesters made their way towards the Minneapolis Police Department’s 3rd Precinct building at around 6pm, where it’s believed the officers worked, WCCO reported.
Officers dressed in riot gear then formed a barricade around the Minneapolis Police Department’s 3rd Precinct building.
“We’re here to let them know this can’t be tolerated, there will be severe consequences if they continue to kill us,” a protester told the news station.
“This will not go on another day.”
Protesters held up their hands and shouted ‘I can’t breathe!’, Floyd’s last words before his death[/caption]
Police officers launched tear gas and rubber bullets at demonstrators[/caption]
A protester washes his face with cold water after encountering tear gas[/caption]
Footage taken at the heated scene appears to show cops using tear gas and flash grenades against protesters.
Cops also shot marker rounds and rubber bullets at protesters, according to the Star Tribune.
“It’s real ugly. The police have to understand that this is the climate they have created, this is the climate they created,” another protester told WCCO.
They Going Crazy In Minneapolis Rn
#ICantBreathe #GeorgeFloyd #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/6efmPeDMa1
— SOLLY THE BANKBOY
.® (@SollyBandz_) May 26, 2020
A smaller group of demonstrators started to vandalize the precinct, shattering a window and spray-painting squad cars.
Others threw rocks, bottles and anything they could get their hands on at police SUVs driving through the streets as officers frantically tried to evade the attacks.
The scene was a far cry from the initially peaceful start to the demonstrations.
About 100 protesters remained outside the precinct as of about 10:30pm Tuesday, according to WCCO.
The intense clash between civilians and cops came hours after Minneapolis Police Chief Rondo Arredondo announced the four cops involved in Floyd’s death were fired.
The officers have yet to be identified, and the FBI has launched an investigation into Floyd’s death.
Police were dressed in riot gear and gas masks[/caption]
Civilians were pelted with tear gas and some even threw rocks at cop cars[/caption]
A small group of protesters spray-painted and vandalized cop cars[/caption]
A sign that reads ‘When will it end?!?!’ is plastered on a window with an illustration of George Floyd[/caption]
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey praised the department for “making the right call” and condemned the incident as “wrong on every level”.
Earlier that afternoon, two of Floyd’s grieving cousins revealed they watched the distressing footage of his brutal death before realizing it was their relative who was killed on camera.
Tera Brown and Shareeduh Tate described the devastating moment in an interview with TMX News on Tuesday.
“I actually saw it before knowing it was my cousin – I saw it on Gayle King,” Tate said of the video.
“And I remember thinking how devastating this would be for the family who have lost their family member like this…then about five minutes after that I got a phone call saying that it was my cousin.”
Protesters marched to the site where Floyd was killed at around 6pm Tuesday[/caption]
About 100 protesters remained in front of the Minneapolis Police Department’s 3rd Precinct as of 10:30 pm Tuesday[/caption]
Tera Brown and Shareeduh Tate revealed on Tuesday they saw footage of their ‘baby cousin’ being choked to death on CBS This Morning[/caption]
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Floyd’s death on Monday night was captured in disturbing footage that showed a police officer kneeling on his neck as he was being arrested.
“I can’t breathe!” Floyd is heard repeatedly saying as his face is pressed into the concrete.
An ambulance rushed him to Hennepin County Medical Center, where he later died.
Video of Floyd’s brutal death on Monday night went viral after it was shared on social media[/caption]
Many protesters say justice won’t be served until a murder charge and conviction have been made[/caption]
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