Teen who filmed George Floyd murder says uncle killed in collision with police

The teen who filmed the murder of George Floyd said that her uncle was killed in a collision with police, CBS News affiliate WCCO reported on Wednesday.

In a statement, Minneapolis Police Department spokesperson John Elder said that on Tuesday morning an officer was chasing a carjacking and robbery suspect, which led to the officer crashing into a nearby driver. The suspect then fled.

“As the officer entered the intersection travelling northbound on Lyndale Avenue at 41st Avenue North, he collided with a vehicle that was travelling westbound. A southbound vehicle was also involved in the crash,” Elder said in the statement.

Elder added that the officer was transported to a nearby hospital to be treated “for serious but non-life-threatening injuries.” The driver died from his injuries en route to the hospital, according to the statement.

Family members confirmed to the CBS News affiliate that the victim is Leneal Frazier, the uncle of Darnella Frazier, the teenager who filmed the death of Floyd last May. 

“I honestly can’t believe I’m making this post right now…I’m so hurt…nothing feels real. I woke up to the most horrible news. MINNEAPOLIS police Killed my uncle MY uncle… Another black man lost his life in the hands of the police,” Frazier said in a Facebook statement.

“I asked my mom several times ‘he died??’. I couldn’t accept what I was hearing and still can’t . Some things just take time to process. I’m still in shock and it haven’t fully hit me yet,I broke down in tearsI was hoping it was a dream…but it’s not and this is reality,” Frazier said. 

Darnella Frazier garnered international media attention in the summer of 2020 after filming former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on the neck of Floyd for more than nine minutes. The video shocked the world, spurring mass protests across the globe and reigniting an ongoing conservation about police brutality and social injustice in the U.S.

The video led to Chauvin being found guilty on all charges in the murder of Floyd in April and him being sentenced to 22.5 years in prison two months later. Frazier was awarded a Pulitzer Prize in June for filming Floyd’s death. 

Frazier also shared her uncle’s GoFundMe page in the Facebook post, according to WCCO. 

Elder said that the Minneapolis State Patrol will conduct a reconstruction and investigation of this crash, according to the statement.