Two New York police officers suspended after video shows them pushing 75-year old man to ground
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Two police officers in Buffalo, New York, were suspended without pay yesterday after a video showed them pushing a 75-year old man to the ground as protests over the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis reached their tenth night.
The video taken by a reporter from local public radio station WBFO shows the man approaching a line of riot police before being shoved to the ground by officers.
The man falls heavily hitting his head on the ground and blood starts to trickle from his head.
The first line of police walk past his figure on the ground before later police start to give him medical attention.
Buffalo mayor Byron Brown said the unnamed victim is in stable but serious condition.
“I was deeply disturbed by the video,” Brown said in a statement. “After days of peaceful protests and several meetings between myself, police leadership and members of the community, tonight’s event is disheartening.”
The incident drew condemnation on social media as protesters continued to demonstrate against police violence and racism for a tenth night.
The radio station reported that two medics came forward and helped the man into an ambulance. Police later said that a man was injured after tripping and falling, the radio station said.
However, after viewing the video, Buffalo police commissioner Byron Lockwood ordered an investigation and suspended the two officers, Brown said.
New York governor Andrew Cuomo said on Twitter that he spoke with the Mayor Brown and agreed the officers should be suspended, pending a formal investigation.
He wrote, “Police Officers must enforce – NOT ABUSE – the law.”
Floyd was killed in Minneapolis on 25 May after a police officer knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes.
On Wednesday, prosecutors in Minneapolis elevated murder charges against one police officer jailed last week in Floyd’s death and arrested three others accused of aiding and abetting the first.
Yesterday, the three newly arrested officers made their first appearance in court and were ordered to remain held on $750,000 (£592,267) bond each.
Their principal co-defendant, Derek Chauvin, 44, is slated to appear for his bond hearing on Monday. Chauvin is the officer seen in video footage kneeling on Floyd’s neck as Floyd gasped for air and groaned, “I can’t breathe,” before passing out.