The attorney for George Floyd's family has released disturbing new footage of the 46-year-old father's alleged murder, branded as "disgusting" and "heartwrenching" by viewers.
Attorney Ben Crump shared the distressing footage to his Twitter account on Sunday (local time), which shows former policeman Tou Thao failing to intervene as Floyd, an unarmed African-American man, was asphyxiated by Thao's fellow officer, Derek Chauvin.
Crump wrote an impassioned caption alongside a clip of the footage, claiming the video is "harder to watch than the [first]".
"NEW VIDEO OF #GEORGEFLOYD’S MURDER! Beyond disturbing, even harder to watch than the 1st video. “You’re going to let him kill that man in front of you?” Thao stood guard as Chauvin KILLED George... while bystanders tried to save his life," he wrote, followed by a link to the full video.
The footage shows Chauvin kneeling on Floyd's neck as Thao appears to stand guard, while frightened bystanders become increasingly agitated.
"He's not f***ing moving," one onlooker yells.
Addressing Thao, the man continues: "You're a bum. The first thing you want to grab is your mace because you're scared, bro. Scared of f***ing minorities, you f***ing bum bro."
"He's not even f***ing moving, get off his neck bro! Get off of his neck!"
"Get the f**k off him, what are you doing?" a woman can be heard screaming.
A paramedic can then be seen briefly checking Floyd's pulse, although Chauvin still does not remove his knee.
A stream of liquid on the ground, running beneath the police vehicle, appears to be Floyd's urine - a detail viewers also picked up on.
Thao can then be seen addressing bystanders, although his comments are unclear.
"You gonna let him kill that man in front of you bro?" the onlooker says to Thao.
Paramedics can be seen unloading a stretcher in the background.
The footage, which has been viewed almost 200,000 times at the time of writing, has been branded as "sickening" and "disgusting" by Twitter users.
"They wanted to kill him. It’s obvious they could care less that he wasn’t moving or breathing. Even after EMT gets there he doesn’t stop. Sickening. Heart-wrenching," one viewer commented.
"[Thao] is just as guilty. He did absolutely nothing. Beyond messed up... despicable," wrote another.
Floyd was apprehended on suspicion of forgery in Minneapolis, Minnesota on May 25. Four officers responded to the report - Chauvin, Thao, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane. Video taken by onlookers captured Chauvin, 44, kneeling on Floyd's neck for roughly eight minutes, despite his repeated gasps and pleas for air. The 46-year-old lost consciousness and was pronounced dead shortly after. The Minneapolis Police Department later attempted to defend the arrest, claiming Floyd had been "physically resisting" officers.
Chauvin - who has been charged with second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter - faces a maximum of 40 years behind bars if convicted. Kueng and Thao also remain in Hennepin County Jail, each facing charges of aiding and abetting second-degree murder and manslaughter. Lane has been granted conditional release after posting US$750,000 bail last week.
All four former officers were fired after the footage of Floyd's death went viral on social media, inciting a global uproar.
Two separate autopsies have confirmed Floyd died from asphyxiation due to neck and back compression, although the results regarding his health differ. An independent autopsy suggests Floyd was in good health when he died, while the official autopsy, conducted by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner, says the 46-year-old had heart disease. It also noted he had been diagnosed with COVID-19 about seven weeks earlier.
