Partial leaked bodycam footage published Monday evening by The Daily Mail appears to show some of George Floyd’s final moments during a deadly police arrest by Minneapolis police officers.
Floyd was handcuffed by officers May 25 during a police response to a phone call alleging that he tried to use a fake $20 at a convenience store. Previously released bystander videos showed former Officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck for almost nine minutes as he yelled that he couldn’t breathe.
The death has sparked outrage and protests against police brutality worldwide. Body cam footage from the incident was only supposed to be available for viewing by appointment at the Hennepin County courthouse and not distributed publicly, but The Daily Mail said it obtained the footage and published it Monday. (RELATED: ‘You’re Going To Kill Me Man’: Body Cam Transcripts Show George Floyd Told Officers He Couldn’t Breathe 20 Times)
The Daily Mail’s two videos – which seem to have been recorded on a separate device – show footage from former rookie officers J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane, according to the publication. It appears to reveal a panicked and afraid Floyd struggling with officers.
WATCH: WARNING, VIDEOS MAY BE DISTURBING:
The officers are seen arriving at the convenience store and confronting Floyd, according to the footage. One officer has his gun drawn and Floyd asks him not to shoot.
Floyd is handcuffed and walked across the street to a police car, where he appears to become more panicked. The leaked footage seems to show him explaining to officers that he is claustrophobic, and the two men attempt to put him into the vehicle. A struggle ensues, and the footage then seems to show Floyd lying on the ground saying “I cannot breathe.”
The Minneapolis Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller. Hennepin County District Court spokesman Spenser Bickett said it is investigating the leak, according to Fox News.
“The court is working with the Hennepin County Sheriff and investigating how the Daily Mail obtained copies of two video exhibits,” Bickett confirmed.
An attorney for Floyd’s family said that the leaked footage reinforces that Floyd wasn’t a threat, according to a statement published by Fox News.
“The more video evidence you see, the more unjustifiable George Floyd’s torture and death at the hands of the police becomes,” attorney Ben Crump said. “Although the allegation against George was for a non-violent offense involving a $20 bill, the police officers approached him with guns drawn, simply because he was a Black man.”
“As this video shows, he never posed any threat. The officers’ contradictions continue to build. If not for the videos, the world might never have known about the wrongs committed against George Floyd.”
