‘DEFICIT OF HOPE’
Minneapolis top cop apologizes to victim’s family
The chief of the Minneapolis police Thursday apologized to the family of an unarmed black man who died this week after a white officer pinned him down with a knee to the neck, a fatal encounter that has triggered two nights of violent protests.
Police Chief Medaria Arradondo said his department had contributed to a “deficit of hope” across the Minnesota city even before the death of 46-year-old George Floyd on Monday.
“I am absolutely sorry for the pain, devastation and the trauma that Mr. Floyd’s death has left on his family, his loved ones and our community,” he said.
Four police officers from Minneapolis have been fired over Floyd’s death after a video of the incident surfaced. It showed Floyd in handcuffs lying face down, groaning for help and repeatedly saying, “Please, I can’t breathe,” before he stopped moving.
He died in hospital shortly afterward.
On Wednesday night, protesters in the city clashed with riot police firing teargas for a second night.
The unrest, accompanied by looting and vandalism, began hours after Mayor Jacob Frey urged prosecutors to file criminal charges against the white officer shown pinning Floyd to the street.
The police chief said the vast majority of protesters had been peaceful but there was a core group of demonstrators who had been focused on causing destruction.
The city has identified the four officers involved in the encounter as Derek Chauvin, Thomas Lane, Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng.
It didn’t say which officer was seen in the video kneeling on Floyd’s neck, but local media have identified Chauvin as the officer in question.
Chauvin’s attorney, Tom Kelly, said in an email to Reuters that he didn’t have a statement about the incident.
In 2007, Chauvin received a letter of reprimand for violating the department’s mobile and video recording policy, according to disciplinary records obtained by Reuters through a public records request.
Britney Spears never called emergency services over her recent gym fire, according to representatives from the Ventura County Fire Department.
The pop star posted a video of her workout while in self-isolation on Instagram last month, and revealed a mishap with a lit candle that came close to destroying her home gym last year.
However, sources told Us Weekly
the fire department never got a call to put out a fire at the
Toxic singer’s
Los Angeles mansion.
A representative confirmed on Wednesday that there are
“no records found” for calls to Spears’ house regarding a fire from January 2019 until the end of April this year.
At the time, the Stronger singer said the fire left her with only two pieces of workout equipment while the space was being fixed. “It was an accident …. but yes …. I burnt it down,” she confessed. “I walked past the door to the gym and flames ...But it could be much worse so I’m grateful. Pssss I like working out better outside anyways.”