ST PAUL, Minnesota — Governor Tim Walz Wednesday sharply condemned the treatment George Floyd received from Minneapolis Police officers in the moments before he lost consciousness and died Memorial Day.
He called for a prompt, thorough investigation of Floyd's death and the circumstances that led to an officer kneeling on Floyd's neck for more than five minutes after Floyd was handcuffed and on the pavement of Chicago Avenue.
"George Floyd did not deserve to die, but he deserves justice," Walz told reporters at the state's Emergency Operations Center, as part of a daily COVID-19 briefing that was seen live by a statewide audience via television and the web.
"I was shocked and horrified by the video of George Floyd’s death. The lack of humanity in the video made me physically ill, and even more difficult for me to understand."
Four officers had gone to the area of Chicago Ave. and 38th Street on a report of someone trying to pass a counterfeit bill at a corner market known as Cup Foods. A citizen with a cell phone captured the last moments of Floyd's life, as he pleaded with officers to get off him because he couldn't breathe and then finally went limp.
The viral video has prompted worldwide outrage, and protests at the scene as well as confrontations between police and officers at the 3rd Precinct where the four officers were based.
Walz said he was glad to hear that Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey fired all four officers on Tuesday but said that was only the beginning of government's response to the tragedy.
Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan appeared at the press conference via a video link, to talk about the community trauma that has occurred in the wake of Floyd's death.
"I'm also outraged that Minnesotans, especially black Minnesotans and black Americans are experiencing the collective trauma of a black man dying at the hands of law enforcement once again," Lt. Gov. Flanagan said.
"George Floyd should be alive today."
Flanagan, who is a member of the White Earth Nation of Ojibwe, is a longtime advocate of racial equity and addressing systemic issues that lead to uneven outcomes for persons of color.
Flanagan currently is co-chairing a Community Resiliency and Recovery Working Group with Minn. Human Rights Commissioner Rebecca Lucero.
"The same systematic racism that led to the death of George Floyd are the same underlying issues that have led to communities of color, especially our black community, to being affected more by COVID 19 than the rest of the state."
Public Safety Commission John Harrington said the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, or BCA, is expediting the investigation into Floyd's death.
He asked for members of the public who witnessed the incident to come forward, and for those who took photos and videos that night to share them with his agency.
Harrington said the investigation could take weeks, but often the probes of officer-involved fatal encounters take months to complete. He noted that the Hennepin County Medical Examiner hasn't yet completed the autopsy.
"We do not have results from that yet. And we will have to wait for that, because that is a crucial piece of information in any murder or death investigation."
Attorney General Keith Ellison said he's confident the investigation that will be done by the state and by the FBI and US Attorney's Office. He says he trusts US Attorney Erica McDonald.
"We have every reason to trust things will be conducted in a fair and upright way, and we'll be watching. Trust, but verify."
Ellison echoed Flanagan's remarks about the system, historic issues between law enforcement and people of color. He was part of an unprecedented task force -- the Deadly Force Encounters Working Group -- that studied the issue of officer-involved deaths from many different perspectives.
He said there's still a need to solve the systemic issues that have plagued the nation and led to black men being killed in disproportionate numbers in law enforcement encounters. But he said the immediate focus should be the investigation into George Floyd's death.