New storm as US police shove man, 75, to ground
THIS is the sickening moment a 75year-old protester fell and struck his head after being hit by a police baton.
It is the latest shocking image from the global protests over the death of George Floyd – the black man killed by a white police officer in Minneapolis on May 25.
Police in Buffalo, New York, initially said Martin Gugino ‘tripped and fell’, but two officers were suspended yesterday after a video of the incident was posted online.
It came as Donald Trump horrified protesters by referring to Mr Floyd in a press conference about the US job market.
Mr Trump said 2million more people were in work last month than in April, adding: ‘Hopefully, George is looking down and saying this is a great thing that’s happening for our country. This is a great day for him, it’s a great day for everybody.’
Mr Gugino approached riot police outside Buffalo’s city hall on Thursday night when two of them pushed him back.
Reporter Mike Desmond, who took the video, said Mr Gugino did not appear to be a protester, adding: ‘He walked a little bit, was standing there, and was hit with a club. He lost his footing after he was hit, fell back, hit his head on the concrete... and I could hear his head hit and then within a few seconds, blood started coming out.’
In the video, other protesters can be heard gasping in shock after hearing Mr Gugino’s head hitting the pavement. He was in a serious but stable condition in hospital last night.
New York governor Andrew Cuomo said: ‘This incident is utterly disgraceful.’
Mr Gugino’s friend Terrence Bisson said he had been a peace activist for years, adding: ‘He’s a gentle person who really believes that he must stand up for what he thinks is right.’
Protesters were angered further when Mr Trump backed an incendiary letter that labelled protesters ‘terrorists’. John Dowd, the President’s former lawyer, said of protests outside the White House this week: ‘The peaceful protesters near Lafayette Park were not peaceful and are not real. They are terrorists using idle hate-filled students to burn and destroy.’
Mr Trump copied the letter to his Twitter account, telling his 80million followers he thought it would be ‘of interest’.
It emerged last night that two of the four officers arrested over Mr Floyd’s death – J Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane – had just a few days on the force. After handcuffing Mr Floyd, the pair were struggling to get him into their car when training officer, Derek Chauvin arrived. What followed, with Mr Chauvin kneeling on Mr Floyd’s neck, sparked the global protests.