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Demonstrators gathered Wednesday for a second night of protests over the killing in the US city of Minneapolis of a handcuffed black man by a policeman who held him to the ground with a knee on his neck.
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As dusk fell, police formed a human barricade around the Third Precinct, where the officers accused of killing George Floyd worked before they were fired on Tuesday.
They pushed protesters back as the crowd grew, a day after police fired rubber bullets and tear gas on thousands of demonstrators angered by the latest death of an African-American at the hands of US law enforcement.
Minneapolis police chief Medaria Arradondo cautioned protestors to remain peaceful.
President Donald Trump in a tweet called Floyd's death "sad and tragic", as outrage spread across the country over a bystander's cellphone video of his killing on Monday while in the custody of four white police officers.
….I have asked for this investigation to be expedited and greatly appreciate all of the work done by local law enforcement. My heart goes out to Georges family and friends. Justice will be served!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 27, 2020
All four have been fired, as prosecutors said they had called in the FBI to help investigate the case, which could involve a federal felony civil rights violation.
"I would like those officers to be charged with murder, because that's exactly what they did," Bridgett Floyd, George Floyd's sister, said on NBC television.
"They murdered my brother…. They should be in jail for murder."
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said he could not understand why the officer who held his knee to Floyd's neck on a Minneapolis street until the 46-year-old restaurant worker went limp has not been arrested.
"Why is the man who killed George Floyd not in jail? If you had done it, or I had done it, we would be behind bars right now," Frey said.
"Based on what I saw, the officer who had his knee on the neck of George Floyd should be charged," he said.
'I can't breathe'
The case was seen as the latest example of police brutality against African Americans, which gave rise six years ago to the Black Lives Matter movement.
Floyd had been detained on a minor charge of allegedly using a counterfeit $20 bill to make a purchase at a convenience store.
In the video, policemen hold him to the ground while one presses his knee to Floyd's neck.
"Your knee in my neck. I can't breathe…. Mama. Mama," Floyd pleaded.
He grew silent and motionless, unable to move even as the officers told him to "get up and get in the car."
He was taken to hospital where he was later declared dead.
'A public execution'
Calls for justice came from around the country.
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden said the FBI needs to thoroughly investigate the case.
"It's a tragic reminder that this was not an isolated incident, but part of an engrained systemic cycle of injustice that still exists in this country," Biden said.
"We have to ensure that the Floyd family receive the justice they are entitled to."
Democratic Senator Read More – Source
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