Washington: Hours after the death of George Floyd, police officer Derek Chauvin and three other officers were fired. The act not only triggered the flood of anger but also raised questions on the safety and security of the people of Minneapolis but more importantly, it triggered the fundamental question on the racial attacks on black Americans.
The video of Floyd's death where an officer was kneeling on his neck, even after he pleaded that he could not breathe and stopped moving has enraged millions of viewers across the world.
Floyd's death on Monday night was under investigation by the FBI and state law enforcement authorities.
His unfortunate death immediately drew comparisons to the case of Eric Garner, an unarmed black man who died in 2014 in New York after he was placed in a chokehold by police and pleaded for his life, saying he could not breathe.
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The United States police have a history of racial attacks on black Americans. According to a paper in the proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, one among 1,000 black men has a chance of being killed by the police. In the case of black women, they are 1.4 times more likely to be killed by the police than white women. EtvBharat brings to you some major incidents that shook the conscience of the world:
* March 3, 1991: Rodney King, a motorist suffered 11 fractures and other injuries when beaten by the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers. The video shows the officer beating him more than 50 times with their batons.
* April 29, 1992: In response to the acquittal of four white Los Angeles policemen on all but one charge connected with the severe beating of an African-American motorist in March 1991.
* November 5, 1992: Malice Wayne Green, a 35-year-old black motorist was attacked by the police who strike him repeatedly with heavy flashlights. Police suspected that he was trying to reach out to one of his weapons. As a result, Green died due to his injuries.
* February 4, 1999: New York City Police Department (NYPD) officers who were searching for a rapist killed Amadou Diallo, a street vendor from West Africa by firing 41 times and hitting him 19 times.
* September 4, 2005: Brothers Ronald and Lance Madison, along with four members of the Bartholomew family, were shot by police officers. Police officers claimed that people were shooting at them so they retaliated.
* November 25, 2006: New York City Police Department (NYPD) officers shot 23-year-old Sean Bell outside the Queens bar the night before the wedding day.
* January 1, 2009: 22-year-old Oscar Grat was shot by the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit officer.
* July 5, 2011: Thomas was beaten, clubbed and stunned with a taser by police. He was admitted to the hospital and died five days later.
* July 17, 2014: Eric Garner died after Officer Daniel Pantaleo chokehold during the arrest as he was accused of selling cigarettes illegally.
* August 9, 2014: Twenty-eight-year-old Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson shot Michael Brown Jr., an African-American.
* October 20, 2014: Laquan McDonald, was shot and killed by Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke. He had a 3-inch knife and had PCP drug in his system.
* April 4, 2015: Walter Scott, a black motorist was shot by North Charleston police officer Michael Slager.
* April 12, 2015: Freddie Gray was arrested by the police. He was on a weapon charge as he was carrying a knife in his pocket.
* July 6, 2016: Police officer Jeronimo Yanez shoots and kills Philando Castile during a traffic stop in Falcon Heights.
* September 16, 2016: Terence Crutcher, a 40-year-old black man was shot and killed by Tulsa Police Officer Betty Shelby
* June 19, 2018: Michael Rosfeld, a police officer from East Pittsburgh shot and killed Antwon Rose II.
* September 1, 2018: O'Shae Terry was gunned down by the Arlington police during a traffic stop.
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