Body-cam footage shows new details in George Floyd arrest

Police body-cam footage disclosed to some media outlets on Wednesday revealed new details involving the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man who died after a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes. 

The footage showed that Floyd’s final words before he died were “I can’t breathe,” according to CNN. It also showed Floyd pleading with officers in the minutes before his death, reportedly saying “I’m not a bad guy” at one point. 

“I’m not that kind of guy,” Floyd said as he struggled with officers, The Associated Press reported. “I just had COVID, man, I don’t want to go back to that.” 

Floyd’s May 25 death spurred protests throughout the nation, as well as calls for greater action to address racism and policy brutality. Derek Chauvin, the white officer who pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck, has been charged with second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter; the other three officers involved in the arrest face charges of aiding and abetting the crimes. 

The recordings released Wednesday were from Officers Thomas Lane and J. Kueng as part of a criminal investigation into their actions in the incident. The videos reportedly began as the officers responded to a report of a forgery in progress.

After talking with employees, the footage showed officers approaching a car that Floyd was in. After knocking his flashlight against the car window, Lane pointed his firearm at Floyd and said  “Put your f—ing hands up right now,” according to CNN. 

Floyd was then pulled from his vehicle within three minutes of the recording, the news network noted. A struggle reportedly ensued between Floyd and the officers as they tried to escort Floyd to a police squad car. Floyd is heard saying “I can’t breathe” for the first time as Lane and Kueng attempt to get him in the car. 

Two other officers, including Chauvin, then arrived on the scene, and the footage shows them trying to restrain Floyd on the pavement. The events that followed were captured and shared on social media by individuals watching the incident. 

Chauvin reportedly placed his knee on Floyd’s neck after about 11 minutes had elapsed on Lane’s body camera. Paramedics were then seen arriving more than nine minutes after Chauvin placed his knee on Floyd’s neck. It had originally been believed that Chauvin held Floyd in the neck restraint for about 8 minutes and 45 seconds. 

Some media outlets were given access to the footage, though a judge overseeing the case has declined to release it publicly. 

Transcripts of police communication during the arrest were released last week and indicated that Floyd was attempting to cooperate but was viscerally fearful of the officers. When officers tried to put Floyd into the squad car, he resisted and said that he was “claustrophobic” and that he just had COVID-19, according to the transcripts. 

The records also showed that Chauvin said “Takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to say that” after Floyd complained about not being able to breathe. 

An autopsy conducted by the Hennepin County concluded that Floyd had fentanyl and methamphetamine in his system at the time of his death. But the autopsy report said that the cause of death was from cardiopulmonary arrest and neck compression.

An independent autopsy unveiled by Floyd family attorney Benjamin Crump also found that Floyd’s death was caused by “asphyxia due to neck and back compression.”