George Floyd is seen pinned to the ground by a white police officer in
Minneapolis
President Akufo-Addo has condemned the cold-blooded murder of 46-year-old African-American, George Floyd, in Powderhorn, a downtown Minneapolis neighbourhood in Minnesota, US.
In a Facebook post, President Akufo-Addo expressed disgust at the circumstances leading to the man’s death.
He posted that “Black people, the world over, are shocked and distraught by the killing of an unarmed black man, George Floyd, by a white police officer in the United States of America.”
For him, “it carried with it an all too painful familiarity, and an ugly reminder. It cannot be right that, in the 21st century, the United States, this great bastion of democracy, continues to grapple with the problem of systemic racism.”
He thus, on behalf of the people of Ghana, expressed a deep sense of condolence to the family and loved ones of the late George Floyd, saying “we stand with our kith and kin in America in these difficult and trying times, and we hope that the unfortunate, tragic death of George Floyd will inspire a lasting change in how America confronts head on the problems of hate and racism.”
While Floyd was handcuffed and lying face down on a city street during an arrest, Derek Chauvin, a white Minneapolis police officer, kept his knee on the right side of Floyd’s neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds. According to the criminal complaint against Chauvin, 2 minutes and 53 seconds of that time occurred after Floyd became unresponsive.
Officers Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng, and Thomas K. Lane participated in Floyd’s arrest, with Kueng holding Floyd’s back, Lane holding his legs, and Thao looking on as he stood nearby.
His death has since sparked outrage across America leading to the destruction of properties and looting.
Preliminary results from the official autopsy found no indication that Floyd died of strangulation or traumatic asphyxia but that the combined effects of being restrained, underlying health conditions, including coronary artery disease and hypertensive heart disease, and potential intoxicants in his system likely contributed to his death.
By Charles Takyi-Boadu, Presidential Correspondent