Almost three weeks after his death, the fate of African American George Floyd continues to dominate the public debate in the United States. A fatal incident in Atlanta could further fuel them.
Washington (dpa) - In the middle of the protests against racism, an African American was killed again in a police operation in the United States.
A police officer shot a black man in Atlanta, Georgia, on Friday evening, who previously refused to be arrested, the GBI Criminal Police Office said. The 27-year-old reportedly died in a hospital after an operation.
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said, "I don't think this was a justified use of lethal violence." She asked for the police officer to be released. Bottoms also said she accepted Erika Shields' offer to resign. The death of the black triggered a new wave of protests in Atlanta.
The GBI had said that the police were called to a fast food restaurant late Friday evening because a man in the queue had fallen asleep in a car. Other vehicles should have passed him. As a result, the 27-year-old, who was sitting in the car, failed a sobriety test and should be taken into custody. There was a fight in which the man testified that an official took off his electroshock gun from an official.
GBI chief Vic Reynolds said that the video shows that the man escapes from the officers, then turns around with the taser in his hand and the police officer then draws his service weapon. Reynolds made it clear that everything went very quickly. The authority wanted to publish the video material. Reynolds said the GBI would quickly collect all the facts and pass them on to the prosecutor. At the same time, prosecutor Paul Howard said his agency had already started an independent investigation into the incident.
Reynolds warned of hasty conclusions - and referred to the heated mood in the country. "I don't want anyone to rush to some form of judgment under any circumstances, which is very easy on both sides in these cases," he said. Investigators are aware that in such cases "enormous feelings" are involved and this is exacerbated by the current situation. The prosecutor had to assess whether it was justified that the police officer shot.
Since the death of African-American George Floyd in Minneapolis at the end of May, police violence and racism have been the focus of public debate in the United States. Protests never stop - and could be fueled by the Atlanta incident. Many people took to the streets again at the weekend in many places, for example in the capital Washington or in Minneapolis. Demonstrators had also gathered near the fast food restaurant in Atlanta.
Almost three weeks ago, a white police officer had pressed his knee into the neck of the Floyd lying on the floor, despite repeated requests to let him breathe. The police officer and three colleagues involved in the operation were released, arrested and charged. Floyd was arrested on suspicion of paying with a false $ 20 bill.
The Seattle Times, meanwhile, reported that Fox News, known as President Donald Trump's favorite, had digitally altered and misleading photos of the situation there on its website as it covered the protests in the city of Seattle. For example, an image of an armed man was cut into a photo of a smashed shop window. The broadcaster has since removed the pictures, wrote the "Seattle Times". The photographer David Ryder confirmed on Twitter that his photos had been manipulated.
The protests in the city on the west coast had recently led to tensions between US President Donald Trump, Washington Governor Jay Islee and Mayor Jenny Durkan. Trump threatened to intervene in the face of an "autonomous zone" in the city set up by demonstrators if local governments failed to control the situation. Many US media reported a peaceful mood. However, the police are not wanted in the area.
Meanwhile, against the backdrop of protests against racism and police violence in the United States, Trump had been criticized for more than three months because of the timing and location of his first campaign event scheduled for Friday. On Friday evening (local time), Trump announced that the rally would be postponed to Saturday.
On the originally planned date, the end of slavery is commemorated in the USA. The event was to take place in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In 1921, the city was the scene of a massacre by a white mob against the black population. Historians see this as the worst clash between whites and blacks in the United States after the end of the civil war. Democratic Senator Kamala Harris had accused Trump of encouraging right-wing radicals, given the original choice of date and location for the rally.
Trump has repeatedly condemned Floyd's death and stressed the right to peaceful demonstrations. However, he is accused of not positioning himself clearly against racism and not showing enough understanding for the anger about discrimination and injustice in the country. His decision to perform in Tulsa on June 19 confirmed his opponents.
Trump thread
Tweet from Harris
Trump's campaign page
Seattle Times to photos from Fox News
David Ryder on Twitter
Notice from the Atlanta Police Department
CNN report
Washington Post report