On May 25, 2020, George Floyd walked into Cup Foods Store in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to buy cigarettes. He paid and walked out of the store. The store clerk believed the $20 bill Floyd used was counterfeit, so at 8pm he called the police. This is something Cup Foods employees had done a dozen times when they received what they believed to be counterfeit money. 

Officers Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng were the first officers on scene. They handcuffed Floyd, who was sitting in his car outside of the Cup Foods with two other people. Soon thereafter, Officer Derek Chauvin (Army Reserve Veteran) and Officer Tou Thao arrived on scene. After a struggle, Floyd found himself face down in the pavement parallel to the squad car, with Officer Chauvin’s knee in his neck. 

Bystanders quickly began filming on their phones and they filmed a horrific act. Three police officers (Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng, and Tou Thao) watched as 19-year police veteran Derek Chauvin placed his knee on Floyd’s neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds.

Screams of “check his pulse” erupt from the bystanders after Floyd stopped talking and moving, but the bystanders’ cries go unanswered. 

Floyd was pronounced dead at 9:25pm. 

Join Margot as she discusses the facts of the case and the charges against the four officers. 

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