Claire Dawson
On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a 46-year-old African-American man, was murdered by Derek Chauvin, a white Minneapolis police officer, who knelt on his neck for over nine minutes, asphyxiating him. Floyd's dying words, I can't breathe, became a rallying cry for protests against police brutality and racism that quickly spread worldwide. While Floyd died before reaching the hospital, the cause of his death has been disputed, with some falsely claiming he died of a drug overdose.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of Death | May 25, 2020 |
| Cause of Death | Cardiopulmonary arrest due to law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression |
| Location of Death | Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| Hospitalization | George Floyd died "many minutes" before being taken to the hospital, according to pathologist Michael Baden |
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What You'll Learn
- George Floyd was murdered by Derek Chauvin, a white police officer
- Floyd died from cardiopulmonary arrest due to law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression
- Floyd's dying words, I can't breathe, became a rallying slogan
- The murder sparked protests against police brutality and racism
- Floyd's family want the area where he died to be commemorated as a historic site
George Floyd was murdered by Derek Chauvin, a white police officer
On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, was murdered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, by Derek Chauvin, a 44-year-old white police officer. Chauvin knelt on Floyd's neck for over nine minutes while Floyd was handcuffed and lying face down on the street. Two other police officers, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane, assisted Chauvin in restraining Floyd. Lane also pointed a gun at Floyd's head before he was handcuffed. A fourth police officer, Tou Thao, a Hmong-American, prevented bystanders from intervening.
Before being placed on the ground, Floyd had exhibited signs of anxiety, complaining of claustrophobia and an inability to breathe. After being restrained, he became more distressed, still complaining of breathing difficulties, the knee on his neck, and fear of imminent death. Floyd can be heard saying "I can't breathe", "please", and "mama" in videos of the incident. He repeated that he could not breathe at least 16 times. At one point, a witness said: "You got him down. Let him breathe." After Floyd said, "I'm about to die", Chauvin told him to "relax".
Floyd stopped moving around 8:20 pm, though he was still conscious. He was pronounced dead shortly after. The manner of Floyd's death was ruled a homicide by the Hennepin County medical examiner, Dr. Andrew Baker, who conducted the initial autopsy. Dr. Baker determined that Floyd's heart and lungs stopped functioning while he was being subdued, restrained, and compressed by police officers. He listed Floyd's heart disease, fentanyl use, and a paraganglioma as other significant conditions.
Floyd's murder sparked global protests against racism and police brutality and in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. In the United States, the protests of racial injustice were the largest since the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, with demonstrations taking place in over 2,000 cities. Many of the demonstrations involved die-ins, with protesters lying down for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, the length of time Chauvin knelt on Floyd's neck. While the majority of protests were peaceful, some cities experienced riots, looting, and street skirmishes, with significant police brutality against peaceful protesters and reporters.
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Floyd died from cardiopulmonary arrest due to law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression
On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black American man, died in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His death, which occurred during an arrest by Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, sparked protests against police brutality and racism, particularly against the Black community.
During the arrest, Chauvin knelt on Floyd's neck for over nine minutes while Floyd was handcuffed and lying face down on the street. Two other police officers, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane, assisted Chauvin in restraining Floyd. Lane had also pointed a gun at Floyd's head before he was handcuffed. A fourth police officer, Tou Thao, prevented bystanders from intervening.
Floyd's repeated pleas of "I can't breathe" were captured on video by witnesses and circulated widely online. Despite this, Chauvin continued to kneel on Floyd's neck, even after he became unresponsive.
The official autopsy report by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's office concluded that Floyd died from "cardiopulmonary arrest" due to "law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression." This was ruled a homicide, with the manner of death being determined as asphyxiation due to neck and back compression.
While Floyd did have underlying health conditions, including heart disease, atherosclerosis, and an enlarged heart, as well as fentanyl and methamphetamine in his system, these were not deemed to be the primary cause of death. Expert witnesses and independent experts agreed that these conditions simply made it more likely that Floyd would not fare well under stress.
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Floyd's dying words, I can't breathe, became a rallying slogan
On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, an African-American man, was murdered by Derek Chauvin, a white police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Chauvin knelt on Floyd's neck and back for over nine minutes, asphyxiating him. Floyd's dying words were "I can't breathe", which he repeated more than 20 times, according to a transcript of the incident.
Floyd's murder sparked global protests against police brutality and racial inequality, particularly towards black people. His dying words, "I can't breathe", became a rallying cry for these protests, echoing the final words of Eric Garner, who was killed in 2014 after being put in a chokehold by a New York City police officer.
The phrase "I can't breathe" has been described as a "peculiarly powerful rallying cry" by linguist Ben Zimmer, who compared it to other slogans such as "Hands up, don't shoot" and "No justice, no peace". The phrase has been widely used in protest graffiti and on social media, and has been adopted by the Black Lives Matter movement. It has also been used in legislative proposals, such as the George Floyd Law Enforcement Trust and Integrity Act, which aims to reduce police brutality and establish national policing standards.
The impact of Floyd's dying words has been attributed to their ability to tap into primal fears and equate racism with the deprivation of air. Novelist and poet Ben Okri wrote that the phrase "goes beyond saying that you are depriving me of freedom, of humanity, of respect". The widespread use of "I can't breathe" as a rallying slogan highlights the power of language in protest movements and the quest for social justice.
The autopsy report of George Floyd confirmed that he died from ""cardiopulmonary arrest" due to "law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression". It did not state that he died from a drug overdose, despite claims on social media.
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The murder sparked protests against police brutality and racism
On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, was murdered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, by Derek Chauvin, a 44-year-old white police officer. Chauvin knelt on Floyd's neck for over nine minutes while Floyd was handcuffed and lying face down on the street. Two other police officers, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane, assisted Chauvin in restraining Floyd. Lane had also pointed a gun at Floyd's head before he was handcuffed. A fourth police officer, Tou Thao, prevented bystanders from intervening.
Floyd's murder sparked protests against police brutality and racism, with demonstrations taking place in over 60 countries internationally, supporting the Black Lives Matter movement. Protesters rallied outside United States embassies in Canada, Europe, Oceania, Asia, and Africa, demonstrating against racial discrimination and police brutality. The protests precipitated a worldwide debate on policing and racial injustice, leading to legislative proposals to combat police misconduct, systemic racism, qualified immunity, and police brutality.
In the United States, the protests of racial injustice were the largest since the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s and gave way to widespread civil unrest. Over 2,000 cities in the US held demonstrations, with many involving "die-ins", where protesters lay down for 8 minutes and 46 seconds—the length of time Chauvin knelt on Floyd's neck. While most protests were peaceful, some cities experienced riots, looting, and street skirmishes, with significant police brutality against peaceful protesters and journalists.
The George Floyd protests also brought renewed attention to past cases of police brutality and racism. Activists connected historic racism and social injustice to contemporary examples of police brutality, with movements still active in Australia, Brazil, India, Japan, New Zealand, Nigeria, the United Kingdom, and elsewhere by May 2021. The protests sparked a social awakening on issues of racial injustice and police violence, with demonstrators focusing their outrage on American symbols, including embassies, consulates, and Trump properties.
The murder of George Floyd and the subsequent protests highlighted the urgent need for addressing systemic racism and police reform, and combating police misconduct and brutality worldwide. The movement served as a catalyst for societal change and a call for justice, with ongoing demonstrations and legislative efforts to bring about lasting change.
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Floyd's family want the area where he died to be commemorated as a historic site
George Floyd, an African American man, was murdered by Derek Chauvin, a white Minneapolis police officer, on May 25, 2020. Chauvin knelt on Floyd's neck and back for over nine minutes, asphyxiating him and causing his death. Three independent medical experts concluded that Floyd's death was a homicide due to ""cardiopulmonary arrest" from "law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression". Floyd's murder sparked a series of protests against police brutality, especially towards the Black community, which quickly spread globally and across the United States. His dying words, "I can't breathe", became a rallying slogan for the Black Lives Matter movement.
Five years after George Floyd's murder, the future of the square in Minneapolis where he took his last breath remains uncertain. The city council is divided over development plans, with Floyd's family advocating for the area to be commemorated as a historic site. Roger Floyd, George Floyd's nephew, envisions the site as a pedestrian plaza that includes a memorial to his late nephew, shops, and a library. He also hopes to see the revival of businesses in the area, acknowledging that the square has become a destination for world visitors due to its significance in the global racial justice movement.
The historically Black commercial district of south Minneapolis, where the square is located, has witnessed a decline in recent years. Local business owners attribute this decline to the limited vehicular traffic and the somber atmosphere surrounding the square's memorial. The city council's proposal to create a pedestrian plaza that restricts buses and vehicular traffic is met with mixed reactions, with the mayor and most business owners favoring a flexible open-street plan to increase traffic flow.
The disagreement between the city council and the mayor culminated in February 2025 when the council voted to override the mayor's veto on the square's development. As the debate over the future of the square continues, the site of George Floyd's murder has become a contentious issue, reflecting the community's desire to honor his legacy and the complexities of balancing commemoration with the practical needs of the surrounding businesses.
George Floyd Square, officially designated as George Perry Floyd Square, holds immense symbolic value as the birthplace of a global movement for racial justice and police accountability. The intersection at East 38th Street and Chicago Avenue has become a rallying point for those seeking to address institutional racism and bring about transformative change.
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Frequently asked questions
No, George Floyd died on the street in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on May 25, 2020.
George Floyd was murdered by Derek Chauvin, a white Minneapolis police officer, who knelt on his neck for over nine minutes, fatally asphyxiating him.
George Floyd's murder sparked global protests against racism and police brutality, particularly towards Black people. It also brought attention to the presence of institutional racism within the United Kingdom.
