American singer, Beyonce has waded in the protest against racism and police killing in America.
Taking to Instagram, she shared a video in which she asked fans to sign a petition to get justice for George Floyd.
The officer, Derek Chauvin, who is white, has been charged with third-degree murder after been sacked alongside three other officers.
“We need justice for George Floyd. We all witnessed his murder in broad daylight. We’re broken and we’re disgusted. We cannot normalise this pain. I’m not only speaking to people of colour. If you’re white, black, brown or anything in between; I’m sure you feel hopeless by the racism going on in America right now,” Beyonce stated.
“No more senseless killings of human beings, no more seeing people of colour as less than human. We can no longer look away. George is all of our family and humanity. He’s our family because he’s a fellow American.
“There have been too many times that we’ve seen these violent killings and no consequences. Yes, someone’s been charged but justice is far from being achieved. Please sign the petition and continue to pray for peace, compassion and healing for our country, she added.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CAy-W0cAvWV/
In the video footage, Derek Chauvin was seen kneeling on 46-year-old George Floyd’s neck as he begged to say, “please, I can’t breathe” and “don’t kill me”.
Although full reports are yet to be released by the county medical examiner, the complaint states that the post-mortem examination did not find evidence of “traumatic asphyxia or strangulation”.
The medical examiner noted Mr Floyd had underlying heart conditions and the combination of these, “potential intoxicants in his system” and being restrained by the officers “likely contributed to his death”.
According to BBC, the report says Mr Chauvin had his knee on Mr Floyd’s neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds – almost three minutes of which was after Mr Floyd became non-responsive.
Nearly two minutes before he removed his knee the other officers checked Mr Floyd’s right wrist for a pulse and were unable to find one. He was taken to the Hennepin County Medical Center in an ambulance and pronounced dead around an hour later.
Officers suspected Mr Floyd had used a counterfeit $20 (£16) note and were attempting to put him in a police vehicle when he dropped to the ground, telling them he was claustrophobic.
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By: Hajia Lamy Gates |ghanaweekend.com
