George Floyd’s Attorney Issues Statement On New Bodycam Footage

On May 25th, George Floyd was killed at the hands of former police officer Derek Chauvin, who fatally knelt on his neck for eight minutes. The aftermath of the tragic event sparked a protest that found thousands upon thousands lining the streets to fight against racial injustice. Chauvin was fired from the Minneapolis Police Department and charged with second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. The other three officers present were charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.

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Attorney Ben Crump, who has long fought against racial inequality, has been representing Floyd’s family in the ongoing court battle. Today, a new development occurred when bodycam footage from the initial arrest was leaked, painting a disturbing picture on the early moments of the encounter. The footage, which came from the bodycams of Thomas Lane and Alex Kueng, revealed Lane raising his weapon and aiming it after Floyd failed to raise his hands. “Please don’t shoot me. Please,” Floyd can be heard saying. “Please, please don’t shoot me. I just lost my mom, man.”

Following the release of the video, Crump took a moment to speak on the footage. “The more video evidence you see, the more unjustifiable George Floyd’s torture and death at the hands of the police becomes,” says Crump, via an official statement. “Although the allegation against George was for a non-violent offense involving a $20 bill, the police officers approached him with guns drawn, simply because he was a Black man. As this video shows, he never posed any threat. The officers’ contradictions continue to build. If not for the videos, the world might never have known about the wrongs committed against George Floyd.”

[via]