Politics & Government
George Floyd: 4 Cops At The Scene Identified
Derek Chauvin has been identified as the Minneapolis police officer who used his knee to pin down George Floyd to the ground.
MINNEAPOLIS — The four Minneapolis police officers at the scene of George Floyd's arrest before he died have been identified. Officer Derek Chauvin used his knee to pin Floyd down.
Floyd is heard telling officers, "I can't breathe," and asking for water. Bystanders were heard telling Chauvin to get off of him.
A second officer, identified as Tou Thao, ordered people to back away from the scene.
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Both officers have been involved in previous "use-of-force incidents," reports the Star Tribune.
Chauvin, 44, has been with the Minneapolis police for 19 years. In 2008, Chauvin shot and wounded Ira Latrell Toles at a Minneapolis apartment complex after Toles reached for a gun, reports the Pioneer Press.
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In 2017, Thao was sued by Lamar Ferguson for excessive use of force. Thao claimed that Ferguson was resisting arrest, so he punched him.
The other two officers at the scene were Thomas Lane and J Alexander Kueng.
All four officers were fired by the department Tuesday, with Mayor Jacob Frey saying it was "the right call."
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