African American man dies after video shows Minneapolis police officer kneeling on neck
MINNEAPOLIS — An African American man has died in Minneapolis police custody after
video shared online from a bystander showed an officer kneeling on his neck during his arrest as he pleaded that he couldn’t breathe.
His death, which occurred Monday night after a struggle with police officers, was under investigation Tuesday by the FBI and state agents.
Officers were called about 8 p.m. Monday to investigate a report of a forgery at a business, according to police spokesman John Elder. Police found the man, believed to be in his 40s, matching the suspect’s description in his car.
“He was ordered to step from his car. After he got out, he physically resisted officers,” Elder said in a statement. “Officers were able to get the suspect into handcuffs and noted he appeared to be suffering medical distress.”
The man, who was not identified, was taken by ambulance to Hennepin County Medical Center where he died a short time later, police said.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has joined the FBI in its investigation. All body camera footage has been turned over to the BCA, which investigates most police shootings and in-custody deaths. The officers involved have been put on paid administrative leave, per department protocol.
Nekima Levy-Armstrong, a prominent local activist, said watching the footage made her “sick to her stomach” and called the incident another example of police brutality toward African American men, the
Star Tribune reported.
“Whatever the man may have done should not have ended in a death sentence,” she said. “What started as an alleged economic incident once again turned deadly for a black man.”
Levy-Armstrong said the incident reminded her of the Eric Garner case. He was an unarmed New York man who died in 2014 after he was placed in a chokehold by police and pleaded for his life saying he couldn’t breathe. A grand jury later decided against indicting the officers involved, sparking protests around the country.
