New York, May 31: The death of African-American man George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis has sparked protests across the United States. Violence has also erupted during protests in several parts of the US, prompting authorities to impose curfews. Police have arrested nearly 1,400 people in 17 US cities as protests continue over the death of George Floyd. President Donald Trump had expressed sorrow over Floyd's death but added: "...when the looting starts, the shooting starts." George Floyd's Killing: USA Administration Announces Curfews in Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Atlanta, Protests Continues.

Why Was George Floyd Taken Into Custody?

On May 26, George Floyd went to buy a pack of cigarettes from Cup Foods, a grocery store. He made the purchase and paid in cash. A store employee suspected that the note given by Floyd was fake and called emergency number 911. According to the owner Mike Abumayyaleh, Floyd was a regular customer at Cup Foods and had never caused any trouble. But the junior employee at the store did not know him. Louis Vuitton, Nike to Apple, US Protesters Loot Luxury Stores Amid Growing Tensions over George Floyd's Death (Watch Shocking Videos).

In a call to 911, the employee told the operator that he had demanded the cigarettes back but "he [Floyd] doesn't want to do that", according to transcripts released by authorities. The employee said the man appeared "drunk" and "not in control of himself". After buying cigarettes, Floyd was sat with two other people in a car parked around the corner. Police arrived shortly after the employee's call.

While approaching towards the car, officer Thomas Lane pulled out his gun. According to a BBC report, prosecutors have not explained why Lane thought it was necessary to pull out his gun. Lane pointed his gun at Floyd and pulled him out of the car. Soon Floyd was handcuffed. A struggled ensued when the officer tried to put Floyd in the police car. Floyd "stiffened up, fell to the ground, and told the officers he was claustrophobic", according to the report.

Then another officer, Derek Chauvin, arrived at the scene and along with other officers attempted to put Floyd in their car. During the attempt, Floyd fell on the ground. Chauvin placed his left knee between his head and neck. "I can't breathe," Floyd said repeatedly, begging "please, please, please". For eight minutes and 46 seconds, Chauvin kept his knee on Floyd's neck, according to prosecutors.

Soon Floyd became motionless. He was not responding. Subsequently, he was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center in an ambulance. He was pronounced dead around an hour later. Chauvin has been sacked and charged with third-degree murder. He is in police custody.

Why the US is Raging in Protests Over George Floyd's Death:

The death of African-American George Floyd has triggered violent unrest in Minneapolis and several other parts of the United States. Floyd’s death is being seen by many as another incident of racially-driven police brutality. The incident has triggered a debate over law enforcement's alleged bias against the African-American minority. There have been countless incidents of African-Americans being killed by white police officers in the US.

According to a report by Washington Post, African-Americans were 2.5 times more likely to be killed by a police officer than white people. According to a study conducted by The Guardian in 2016, the rate of fatal shootings by the police per million people was the highest for the Native American (10.13) and Black (6.6) racial groups; white people had a rate of 2.9.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 31, 2020 02:56 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).