MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — The FBI has been called to investigate after a man died Monday night in south Minneapolis after an encounter with police.
In a statement early Tuesday, police described what happened as a medical incident. However, a video posted on social media shows an officer kneeing a man’s neck to the ground for at least seven minutes. Before he goes unconscious, the man, who is black and unarmed, repeatedly tells officers he can’t breathe.
At a press conference Tuesday morning, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey alluded to the graphic footage, saying: “I believe what I saw, and what I saw was wrong at every level.”
The mayor added: “Being black in America should not be a death sentence.”
Thread: Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey calls the incident with a 40-something year old black man who died while under arrest “wrong on every level.” A FB video shows an MPD officer pinning the man down as he says he can’t breathe. “This does not reflect the values of MPD.” #wcco pic.twitter.com/f9T6mvMkPI
— Christiane Cordero (@ChristianeWCCO) May 26, 2020
According to police, officers responded shortly after 8 p.m. Monday to the 3700 block of Chicago Avenue South, where a man was reportedly trying to use forged documents at Cup Foods.
At the scene, police found the man, who appeared to be in his 40s and intoxicated, in a blue car. Officers told him to get out. Their body cameras were running.
“After he got out, he physically resisted officers,” police spokesman John Elder told reporters early Tuesday. “Officers were able to get the suspect into handcuffs and officers noticed that the man was going into medical distress.”
An ambulance brought the man to Hennepin County Medical Center, where he died shortly after, police say. His name has not been released.
The video posted to social media shows an encounter between Minneapolis police and a man outside Cup Foods. In the nine-minute video, an officer can be seen kneeling on a man’s neck at the side of a squad car. The man can be heard groaning and repeatedly telling police he can’t breathe.
(credit: Darnella Frazier)
“He’s not even resisting arrest right now, bro,” one bystander tells the officer and his partner. “You’re f—ing stopping his breathing right now, you think that’s cool?”
After about five minutes, the man appears to go unconscious. The bystanders ask for someone to check his pulse. The officer does not lift his knee from the man’s neck until medical personnel arrive a few minutes later and carry him away.
At the Tuesday morning press conference with the mayor, Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo did not address the video specifically, but did say that he received information from the community that prompted him to reach out to the FBI.
The investigation is now being led by federal authorities. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is also involved.
The two Minneapolis officers who responded to the incident are on “relieved of duty status,” the police chief said. This is different from the typical administrative leave, but is still paid with no law enforcement duties.
At least one protest is planned for Tuesday night at the scene of the incident. It is being organized by a number of local activist groups, including the Minneapolis NAACP, Communities Against Police Brutality, and Black Lives Matter Twin Cities.
The mayor urged protesters to remain mindful of COVID-19 while demonstrating. It was noted that the two officers on the social media video were not wearing face masks during the encounter.
Frey also expressed his condolences to the man’s family and the black community.
“He should not have died,” the mayor said.
My remarks delivered earlier this morning and video below. https://t.co/qC2IgWdm1T pic.twitter.com/XWXhSygaCY
— Mayor Jacob Frey (@MayorFrey) May 26, 2020
Across the Mississippi River, St. Paul Mayor Melvin Cater tweeted Tuesday about the video, calling it “one of the most vile and heartbreaking images I’ve ever seen.” He called for both officers to be held fully accountable.
“This must stop now,” he said.
Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Gov. Tim Waz also issued a statements, calling for immediate action.
“There must be a complete and thorough outside investigation into what occurred, and those involved in this incident must be held accountable,” Klobuchar said. “Justice must be served for this man and his family, justice must be served for our community, justice must be served for our country.”
Walz said the lack of humanity in the video was “sickening.”
“We will get answers,” he said, “and seek justice.”
The video of a Minneapolis police officer killing a defenseless, handcuffed man is one of the most vile and heartbreaking images I’ve ever seen. The officer who stood guard is just as responsible as his partner; both must be held fully accountable. This must stop now.
— Mayor Melvin Carter (@MayorCarter) May 26, 2020
