MINNEAPOLIS – The FBI and Minnesota authorities are investigating the death of a black man in Minneapolis police custody after video from a bystander showed a white officer kneeling on his neck. The video that was shared online shows the man pleading that he couldn’t breathe. Police spokesman John Elder says officers were called to investigate a report of a forgery at a business about 8 p.m. Monday and found the man matching the suspect’s description in his car.
Elder says the man “physically resisted” arrest and appeared to be “suffering medical distress” after he was handcuffed. He was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center, where he died a short time later. No weapons were used during the arrest. Police were wearing body cameras that were on and activated during the arrest.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey addressed the incident in a Tuesday morning news confernce. He was visably shaken and said:
“For the better part of the night I have been trying to find the words to describe what happened and all I keep coming back to is that he should not have died. What we saw was horrible. Completely and utterly messed up. This man’s life matters. He matters. He was someones son. Someones family member. Someones friend. He was a human being and his life mattered. Whatever the investigation reveals it does not change the simple truth that he should be with us this morning. I beleive what I saw and what I saw was wrong at every level. Being black in America should not be a death sentence.”
