George Floyd death: How cop's actions sparked wild protests - NEWS.com.au

The family of George Floyd want the officers who arrested him on Monday charged with murder after a video of him becoming limp in custody went global.

A second day of protests in Minneapolis after the death of George Floyd in police custody on Monday.

Family and friends of father-of-two George Floyd have described his death as “senseless” and “before his time”, as outrage grows over the African-American man’s treatment at the hands of a white Minneapolis police officer.

She said he left the city for Minneapolis around 2018 and worked as a truck driver before his job as a bouncer.

He said Floyd was “a very good friend” and described his death as “plain murder”.

“We live in a society of law and order, police are suppose(d) to serve and protect, I didn’t see none of this,” Mr Thunstrom said.

Lifelong friend Jack Harris said the gifted athlete and hip-hop artist grew up in Houston’s Third Ward and the pair met in middle school.

Mr Harris said Mr Floyd moved to Minneapolis several years ago in the hope of finding work and starting a new life.

Mr Harris said the way Mr Floyd died – repeatedly telling police “I can’t breathe” in the recording – was “senseless”.

But in an incident report, the fire department said an off-duty firefighter witnessed the “end of the struggle” and saw Floyd “go from struggling to unresponsive on the ground while handcuffed and subdued” by police.

She said she wants the responding officers to be charged and “put in jail for murder”.

Family lawyer Benjamin Crump said it was “a nonviolent crime met with this kind of violent, lethal, excessive force” and the officer had knelt on Floyd’s neck for nine minutes.

Philonise Floyd, who set up a fund for funeral costs, said: “No one took any action to save my brother's life.”.

I can confirm that: https://t.co/JJOIoyzVzl is the only legitimate @gofundme page to donate directly to the family of the George Floyd.

Thank you for standing with the Floyd family.

The Minneapolis Police Department on Wednesday identified the four officers, who have all been fired, as Derek Chauvin, Thomas Lane, Tou Thao and J

Information is being shared with the FBI which is conducting a separate, federal civil rights investigation at the request of the city’s police department

US President Donald Trump said it was a “very sad day”, later adding on Twitter that he has asked for the investigation to be “expedited”

At my request, the FBI and the Department of Justice are already well into an investigation as to the very sad and tragic death in Minnesota of George Floyd...

And we’re going to get a very full report,” Trump said while touring the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on Wednesday

“Please, Minneapolis, we cannot let tragedy beget more tragedy,” he said on Twitter