Four Minnesota police officers have been fired after the death of a black man who was taken into custody and seen on video being pinned down by his neck.
Minneapolis police chief Medaria Arradondo confirmed the dismissal of the officers saying they were now “former employees”.
The black victim, George Floyd, was seen in the video clip groaning and repeatedly saying “I can’t breathe” to the white officer.
The incident, BBC said echoed that of Eric Garner, a black man who died being arrested in New York City in 2014.
The FBI said it will investigate the Minneapolis incident, which took place on Monday evening. Minnesota police said 46-year-old Mr Floyd, who had worked providing security at a restaurant, died after a “medical incident” in a “police interaction”.
On Tuesday afternoon, Mayor Jacob Frey confirmed the four officers involved in the incident had been “terminated”. “This is the right call,” he tweeted.
At a press conference earlier, Mr Frey had described the incident as “completely and utterly messed up”. “I believe what I saw and what I saw is wrong on every level,” he said.
“Being black in America should not be a death sentence.”
It is the latest accusation of US police brutality against African Americans. Recent high-profile cases include an officer in Maryland who fatally shot a man inside a patrol car.
The incident in Minneapolis began with a report of a customer attempting to use a counterfeit $20 bill at a store. The officers located the suspect in his car, police said in a statement.
They were told the man, who has not been identified, was “sitting on top of a blue car and appeared to be under the influence.”
