Killed over fake $20 bill: George Floyd was arrested for 'trying to pay at grocery store with counterfeit note' before white cop knelt on his neck until he died - as mayor says 'he'd still be alive if he were white'
The Mayor of Minneapolis has said George Floyd would still be alive today if he were white after protests erupted in the city overnight over his killing by police.
Floyd, 46, died on Monday night after a white cop knelt on his neck for eight minutes while he begged for breath.
Floyd had been arrested on suspicion of forgery after an employee at a Minneapolis grocery store called police claiming he tried to pass a counterfeit $20 bill, it was revealed.
In an interview with CBS This Morning on Thursday, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said he considers his death a murder.
'I'm not a prosecutor, but let me be clear. The arresting officer killed someone,' he said.
In an interview with CBS This Morning on Thursday, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said he considers his death a murder
Mayor Jacob Frey has called for the white officer who knelt on Floyd's neck to be criminally charged on Wednesday. Derek Chauvin (pictured) was identified by Floyd family's attorney or other sources as the officer pinning him down in video footage that was widely shared on Tuesday
'He'd be alive today if he were white.'
'The facts that I've seen, which are minimal, certainly lead me down the path that race was involved.'
Mayor Frey on Wednesday publicly called for the police officer involved in Floyd's death to be arrested and criminally charged.
The officer, who was seen in footage pinning Floyd down with his knee until he lost consciousness, has since been identified as Derek Chauvin.
All four officers involved in Monday's arrest were fired on Tuesday after they were initially placed on administrative leave.
'If most people, particularly people of color, had done what a police officer did late Monday, they'd already be behind bars,' Frey said on Wednesday.
'That's why today I'm calling on Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman to charge the arresting officer in this case.'
Minneapolis Department Police Chief John Elder confirmed in a midnight press conference that one person was shot and killed and that another person was being held in custody. Pictured: Scores of people were seen in the streets as fires raged around them amid conflicts with police
Frey pointed out that most civilians would already be in jail if they had done with police officer was seen doing in the video
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, who said firing the police officers was the 'right call,' is now asking for the white cop who knelt on George Floyd's neck to be arrested and charged
'I've wrestled with, more than anything else over the last 36 hours, one fundamental question: "Why is the man who killed George Floyd not in jail?".
He later added: 'I saw no threat. I saw nothing that would signal that this kind of force was necessary.'
Floyd, 46, died in hospital shortly after his confrontation with police, which is now under investigation by the FBI and has prompted thousands of protesters to take to the streets to demand justice.
Cops were reported to have located Floyd, who was suspected of forgery, in his car around 8pm before ordering him to exit the vehicle, according to a police statement. A police spokesman alleged Floyd got out of the car before 'physically resisting officers'.
Protesters began gathering in the early afternoon near the city's 3rd Precinct station, in the southern part of the city where 46-year-old George Floyd died on Memorial Day after an officer knelt on his neck until he became unresponsive.
News helicopter footage showed protesters milling in streets near the city's 3rd Precinct station, with some running in and out of nearby stores. A Target, a Cub Foods, a Dollar Tree and an auto parts store all showed signs of damage and looting. As darkness fell, fire erupted in the auto parts store, and city fire crews rushed to control it. Protesters set other fires in the street.
Officers could be seen surrounding the nearby precinct, not attempting to intervene in the looting.
Multiple fires burned early Thursday at buildings and smoke hung over the city. Fire crews worked to put out flames. Blocks of buildings with broken-out windows and other damage from looting were seen, and KSTP-TV reported that some people were seen going through buildings.
Killed over fake $20 bill: George Floyd was arrested for 'trying to pay at grocery store with counterfeit note' before white cop knelt on his neck until he died - as mayor says 'he'd still be alive if he were white'
![Killed over fake $20 bill: George Floyd was arrested for 'trying to pay at grocery store with counterfeit note' before white cop knelt on his neck until he died - as mayor says 'he'd still be alive if he were white']()
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May 28, 2020
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