"Do You Understand Now?" Unarmed Black Man Dies After White Police Officer Kneels on Neck... US Outrage

Thousands of Americans Take to the Streets in Protest
Four Police Officers Involved in Incident Dismissed, FBI Launches Investigation

On the 27th (local time), citizens held a rally in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, to commemorate the death of George Floyd. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Lim Juhyung] A black man died during a restraint by white police officers in Minnesota, USA, sparking outrage in American society.

According to the US media outlet The Washington Post on the 26th (local time), George Floyd, who worked as a restaurant security guard in Minneapolis, Minnesota, was restrained by police around 8 p.m. that day on suspicion of involvement in a forgery crime. Floyd pleaded with the police, saying, "I can't breathe. Please don't kill me," but the police continued to press on his neck.

The police restraint lasted for about five minutes, during which Floyd began to bleed from his nose. Eventually, Floyd was loaded into an ambulance and transported to a nearby hospital, but he died around 9:25 p.m., about an hour later.

The police restraint process was filmed by a citizen passing near the scene and spread through social networking services (SNS) and other platforms.

Subsequently, thousands of citizens in Minnesota took to the streets to protest against police excessive force. They participated in the rally wearing masks and held signs with phrases such as "I can't breathe" and "Murderer KKK (white supremacist terrorist group)" to voice their protest.

LeBron James, a professional basketball player in the United States, posted a message on his Instagram protesting against police excessive force. / Photo by LeBron James Instagram capture

Famous Americans have also voiced their protests regarding this incident.

LeBron James (36, LA Lakers), a US professional basketball star, posted on his SNS on the 27th a photo of a police officer pressing down on a black man's neck alongside a photo of NFL player Colin Kaepernick, who kneeled during a 2016 football game to protest racial discrimination, with the caption, "Do you understand now? Or do you still not get it?"

The Minnesota Vikings, an NFL team near the area where the incident occurred, also wrote on their official SNS account, "We express our condolences for what happened just one block away from our stadium," and "We stand with the Floyd family and all those mourning this tragic event."

Meanwhile, it has been confirmed that the four police officers involved in the incident have been dismissed. Additionally, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation has launched an investigation into the incident.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.