Houston Police Chief condemns officer's actions in death of George Floyd
HOUSTON - Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo condemned the actions of the Minneapolis Police Officer involved in the deadly arrest of Houston native, George Floyd.
On Monday, viral cell phone video captured a white Minneapolis cop pinning the weight of his knee on George Floyd’s neck for up to 8 minutes. The move eventually caused the 46-year-old black man to pass out and later die at the hospital.
Floyd was a Third Ward native and a 1993 Yates High School graduate who’d recently moved to the Twin Cities for a fresh start.
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On behalf of the Houston Police Department, Acevedo extended his condolences to the Floyd family Wednesday.
Acevedo publicly condemned the officer’s actions in a news conference and reminded his department that this is not how the police will operate in Houston.
"I don’t know how you defend what you saw. I can’t defend it. Putting your weight on an individual’s neck is not acceptable in this department and it’s not acceptable in any legitimate police department," Acevedo said.
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"Absent being in a fight for your life, the neck is off-limits. The neck is off-limits. We don’t do choke-holds. We don’t put our knees and put pressure on somebody’s neck," Acevedo continued.
The Chief’s comments come as HPD is under-fire for six fatal officer-involved shootings in the last month.
"The sanctity of life must come before our priorities today, tomorrow and every time that we don this uniform," Acevedo said.
Meanwhile, long-time friends and former teammates of Floyd, flew to Minneapolis to stand in solidarity with the thousands protesting against police brutality and racial injustice.
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"When you wear these Yates colors -- this is real. He was never by himself. But more importantly, I’m going to support the community because the community from an African American standpoint, we’re tired,” said Gerry Monroe, an activist, and Floyd's friend.
Since the video went viral this week, four Minneapolis Police Officers involved in the incident have been fired from the department, but thousands of outraged citizens are calling for the officers to be charged with murder.