A closer look at police use of force

Signs, flowers and balloons outside of a store.
Flowers, balloons and a Black Lives Matter poster mark the place where George Floyd was restrained by police by an officer kneeling on his neck in south Minneapolis on Tuesday.
Evan Frost | MPR News

Four Minneapolis police officers were fired on Tuesday after a black man died in their custody. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey tweeted about the firings: “This is the right call.” 

The FBI and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension are investigating the case. An attorney for the family identified the victim as George Floyd. Bystander video from the incident shows a police officer with a knee on Floyd’s neck for several minutes while he tells officers that he can’t breathe.

As that video made the rounds on social media, several elected officials condemned the incident, including Gov. Tim Walz and Minnesota U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar.

Wednesday on MPR News, host Kerri Miller spoke with David Thomas, a senior research fellow at the Police Foundation, licensed mental health counselor and former police officer, about police use of force.

To listen to the full conversation you can use the audio player above.

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