Sputnik comes live from Minneapolis, US, where activists are holding a memorial march in honour of George Floyd, who died a year ago. US President Joe Biden is set to meet Floyd’s family at the White House as negotiations in Congress over police reform legislation continue.
Earlier on Sunday, another march was organised in Minneapolis as part of a series of events marking the first anniversary of Floyd’s death.
On 25 May 2020, Derek Chauvin, a 45-year-old police officer, detained Floyd, an African-American man, after he supposedly used a counterfeit $20 bill at a convenience store in Minneapolis. Chauvin knelt on Floyd's neck for almost 10 minutes before the captive lost consciousness. He later died in hospital.
The incident which had been caught on film by passers-by, triggered mass protests in almost every major city in the US as well as in other cities abroad. The so-called Black Lives Matter movement denounced police brutality and racism, demanding more justice for African Americans.
In April 2021, Chauvin was charged with second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the death of Floyd. Chauvin was accused of placing his knee on Floyd’s neck although Floyd said he could not breathe. On 20 April, Chauvin was found guilty on all counts.
During the trial, Chauvin’s legal team argued that Floyd died because of the presence of drugs in his system and heart problems. An autopsy showed the presence of fentanyl and methamphetamine in Floyd’s blood.