A Timeline of George Floyd's Death and Its Aftermath
"My Dad Changed the World" -Gianna Floyd
MAY 25
George Floyd, a black man, dies in police custody in Minneapolis. A white officer, Derek Chauvin, was caught on camera kneeling on Floyd’s neck for more than eight minutes during his arrest on suspicion of passing a counterfeit bill. Three other officers were present.
Protests begin in Minneapolis
MAY 26
The four officers involved in Floyd’s arrest are fired. The FBI and state authorities open an investigation.
MAY 27
Protestors take to the streets in Los Angeles and other cities. Most demonstrations are peaceful, though there are instances of violence, property destruction and looting in some places.
The next day, Twitter flags Trump’s tweet about shooting looters for “glorying violence.”
MAY 28
“I feel very, very badly. That’s a very shocking sight,” President Donald Trump says in response to Floyd's death.
MAY 29
Derek Chauvin is arrested and charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
MAY 30
In cities where demonstrations turn violent, mayors implement curfews and governors deploy the National Guard in an attempt to keep the peace.
JUNE 1
Trump describes many governors as "weak" and demands tougher crackdowns on the demonstrations. He threatens to use military force to “dominate” protestors.
Law enforcement uses tear gas to clear peaceful demonstrators out of Lafayette Park near the White House. Trump then walks through the cleared park to hold a photo-op outside nearby St. John’s Church, which was damaged by a fire during weekend protests. The ACLU later sues over the use of tear gas.
Floyd’s brother appeals for peace in the aftermath of riots and arson fires in Minneapolis, saying destruction is "not going to bring my brother back at all.”
A medical examiner classifies Floyd’s death as a homicide, saying his heart stopped as police restrained him and compressed his neck. A separate autopsy commissioned for Floyd’s family concludes that he died of asphyxiation due to neck and back compression.
JUNE 2
The state of Minnesota files a human rights complaint against the Minneapolis Police Department, saying it will investigate the agency for evidence of “systemic discriminatory practices towards people of color” over the last decade.
Several top record labels organizes Black Out Tuesday to encourage people to reflect and implement change. Celebrities and millions more join, posting black squares to social media.
JUNE 3
The remaining three officers present for Floyd’s death are charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Chauvin’s charges are upgraded to second-degree murder.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti says the city will abruptly reverse plans for boosting LAPD’s spending and instead redirect $250 million from the city budget into programs for health care, jobs and “healing” aimed largely at the black community. Activists call for similar actions in other cities.
JUNE 4
Celebrities, civil rights activists, politicians and members of Floyd’s family gather in Minneapolis for the first of several funeral services. Delivering the eulogy, the Rev. Al Sharpton says George Floyd's story has been the story of black people in America.
JUNE 5
A longtime friend who witnessed Floyd’s arrest the week before says Floyd didn't resist arrest and tried to diffuse the situation when officers began screaming.
Minneapolis agrees to ban chokeholds by police and to require officers to try to stop any other officers they see using improper force.
Kicking off a weekend of widespread peaceful protests, city workers and local artists in Washington paint “Black Lives Matter” in bright yellow letters on the street near the White House. Two days later, an estimated 50,000 people pack the streets in Hollywood to demand police reform.
JUNE 6
15,000 people pay their respects to Floyd ahead of a funeral service in North Carolina, where he was born.
JUNE 9
Hundreds of mourners attend Floyd's home-going service in Houston, the city where he spent much of his life. Floyd is laid to rest next to his mother in nearby Pearland.
In response to riots and looting, Trump threatens to use federal troops in a law enforcement role in cities nationwide. After his press conference, authorities clear protesters near the White House using tear gas so Trump can hold a photo-op at a nearby church.
Protests trickle into other cities across the nation. In Los Angeles, Hundreds of people protesting block a freeway and shatter police cruisers windows.
