The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is investigating the death of an unidentified black man who died after a police officer knelt on his neck in Minnesota.
According to BBC, the police officer was caught perpetrating the act in a 10-minute footage filmed by a witness on Monday.
The deceased, who laid on the ground as captured in the video clip, was heard saying: “Don’t kill me.”
Witnesses reportedly urged the officer to take his knee off the man’s neck after it appeared that the man was no longer moving.
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The Minnesota police admitted that the man, suspected to have committed forgery, died after a “police interaction.”
Giving their account, the police said the deceased was under the influence when the officers approached him.
They said he refused to step aside from a vehicle he was sitting on after he had been ordered to do so there by “physically resisting arrest.”
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“Officers were able to get the suspect into handcuffs and noted he appeared to be suffering medical distress,” the police said in a statement.
The police said no weapons were used during the incident and the body had been handed to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension for investigation.
According to the police, the two officers involved in the incident have been put on paid administrative leave.
“As additional information has been made available, it has been determined that the Federal Bureau of Investigations will be a part of this investigation,” the police said.
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Reacting to the incident, Jacob Frey, Minneapolis mayor, said being black in the US is not a death sentence.
“I believe what I saw and what I saw is wrong on every level. Being black in America should not be a death sentence,” Frey said.
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