George Floyd
May 25, 2020
Murder by Suffocation
On the evening of May 25, 2020, white Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin killed George Floyd by kneeling on his neck for almost 10 minutes. The murder, recorded by bystanders, touched off what may have been the largest protest movement in U.S. history and a nationwide reckoning on race and policing.
George Floyd, a Houston native, and father of five, had purchased cigarettes at a Minneapolis convenience store. The store manager called police upon suspecting that Floyd had used a counterfeit $20 bill in the transaction. When officers arrived, they pulled a gun on Floyd, who initially cooperated upon his arrest. However, Floyd resisted being placed in the police car, saying he was claustrophobic. Officers eventually pulled him from the car and Chauvin pinned him to the street for nine minutes and 29 seconds. Floyd was unresponsive when an ambulance arrived and was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
