There have been many incidents of police violence during the George Floyd protests, a series of protests and demonstrations against police brutality and racism in policing. The protests began on May 26, 2020, following the murder of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, by Derek Chauvin, a 44-year-old white man employed as a Minneapolis police officer, who knelt on Floyd's neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds during an arrest the previous day.
Lawyer T. Greg Doucette and mathematician Jason Miller compiled a list of videos posted on Twitter showing evidence of alleged police brutality, which as of July 26, 2020, contained more than 830 videos. Investigative journalism website Bellingcat documented over 140 police violence incidents against journalists during the protests. The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker found there were almost as many press freedom violations in one week as for the entire year in 2019.
Definitions Police have standard procedures for ways to manage protests that may employ legally warranted forms of violence. In contrast, police brutality is the excessive and unwarranted use of violent force by law enforcement. Brutality is an extreme form of police misconduct or violence and is a civil rights violation. Police brutality can include but is not limited to physical or verbal harassment, physical or mental injury, property damage, inaction of police officers, "indiscriminate use of riot control agents at protests", racial abuse, torture, beatings, and death. Human rights include right to equal protection under the law and the rights to liberty, security, and freedom from discrimination. This article lists incidents of police violence during George Floyd protests that may or may not have been legally warranted.
List of incidents + Police violence incidents during the George Floyd protests Date Location DetailsMay 27, 2020Memphis, TennesseeAn officer was filmed using his police shield to shove a girl.May 27, 2020Minneapolis, MinnesotaPolice fired projectiles at protesters, damaging a woman's eye.May 28, 2020Albuquerque, New MexicoPolice fired tear gas at protesters who followed officers as they made arrests.May 28, 2020Denver, ColoradoPeaceful protesters were gassed by police. Elisabeth Epps, a member of the Denver Police use-of-force committee, resigned her post after she was shot by police projectiles.May 28, 2020 Houston, TexasA Houston Police Department officer riding a horse was filmed trampling a woman. Mayor Sylvester Turner apologized for the incident. The woman later filed a lawsuit against the Houston Police Department and the city of Houston.May 28, 2020Minneapolis, MinnesotaAn officer in the tail car of a caravan of squad cars was filmed indiscriminately spraying a chemical agent out the window onto bicyclists and people in a crosswalk.May 28, 2020Minneapolis, MinnesotaA reporter from the Des Moines Register was pepper sprayed by police.May 29, 2020Atlanta, GeorgiaAn officer was filmed using his bicycle to shove a woman who was protesting.May 29, 2020Atlanta, GeorgiaAn officer was filmed body-slamming a woman near Lenox Square Mall. The woman later sued the city of Atlanta.May 29, 2020Columbus, OhioPolice fired a non-lethal projectile at a man, striking and shattering his knee.May 29, 2020Columbus, OhioA woman was hit by a police horse. The city of Columbus later agreed to pay $5.75 million to injured protesters.May 29, 2020Columbus, OhioPolice pepper-sprayed and shoved a reverend.May 29, 2020Columbus, OhioPolice fired a wooden bullet at a woman near a protest, striking her in the chin.May 29, 2020Dallas, TexasA CBS news crew was caught in tear gas.May 29, 2020Denver, ColoradoKMGH-TV news crew reported police targeting them with paintballs and tear gas. Their photographer was shot four times and their camera was destroyed.May 29, 2020Denver, ColoradoPolice fired a sponge-tipped projectile at a protester, hitting her eye.May 29, 2020Denver, Colorado Police shot tear gas at a couple in a vehicle waiting at a traffic stop in Denver. When the man came out of the vehicle to confront the officers because his pregnant wife was in the vehicle, the officers ordered him to move along. He refused and the officers opened fire on him and the vehicle with pepper balls.May 29, 2020Las Vegas, Nevada80 people were arrested as police clashed with protesters on the Vegas strip, including two journalists. Charges against the two journalists were later dropped.May 29, 2020Las Vegas, NevadaOfficers were filmed rushing and tackling a protester. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said the man was an agitator.May 29, 2020Louisville, KentuckyA Louisville Metro Police Department officer was filmed firing pepper balls directly at a WAVE 3 News crew, hitting correspondent Kaitlin Rust and photojournalist James Dobson. The officer was reassigned on June 1. May 29, 2020 Minneapolis, Minnesota CNN journalist Omar Jimenez and his three-person news crew were arrested by a group of Minnesota state police officers while reporting live on protests in response to the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota. According to Jimenez, he was arrested for failing to move back from the position where they were reporting after being ordered to, despite their media credentials being visible and valid, and their agreeing to move where directed. May 29, 2020 Minneapolis, Minnesota Swedish Expressen correspondent Nina Svanberg was shot with a rubber bullet and VG photojournalist Thomas Nilsson had a red laser sight trained on him. May 29, 2020 Minneapolis, MinnesotaJournalist and author Linda Tirado was permanently blinded in one eye after police shot her with a non-lethal projectile. May 29, 2020 New York City, New York New York City Police Department officer Vincent D'Andraia shoved a woman, Dounya Zayer, to the ground at a protest in Brooklyn. The officer was recorded throwing down the protester with both hands while allegedly calling her a "stupid fucking bitch"; the protester was hospitalized after the assault and said she suffered a seizure. On June 9, the officer was charged with assault, criminal mischief, harassment and menacing. A $387 thousand settlement was reached in 2022. May 29, 2020New York City, New YorkAs police cars drove past protesters, an officer opened his passenger door, causing it to hit a protester. The suspected perpetrator received modified duty.May 29, 2020New York City, New YorkOutside Barclays Center, police were filmed repeatedly striking protesters with clubs after they had fallen on the concrete.May 29, 2020Omaha, NebraskaA man was shot in the eye with a pepper ball. A different person was shot by pepper balls in the groin, although it is not known exactly what date this occurred.May 29, 2020Omaha, NebraskaPolice fired tear gas at a line of protesters sitting in the street.May 29, 2020Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaAn officer threw a pepper spray container at a man.May 29, 2020San Jose, CaliforniaSan Jose Police Department officer Jared Yuen drew national attention on social media due to videos of his behaviour. Yuen was videoed holding a projectile launcher, telling a protester "Shut up, bitch", then within seconds he leaned around another officer to fire a projectile at close range, which caused a fight. In other videos, Yuen is filmed saying: "Let's get this motherfucker", or seen "smirking, licking his lips and rocking back and forth, looking a little too excited to be facing off with protesters", reported San Jose Inside. The videos were viewed over 10 million times, and thousands called for Yuen's firing. SJPD chief Eddie Garcia reacted that Yuen "let his emotions get the best of him, and it's not right", but he also called Yuen a "kid" and "good cop", "who has put his life on the line for the city multiple times." As a result, Yuen was removed from protest duties.May 29, 2020San Jose, CaliforniaA bias trainer was shot in the groin by riot guns.May 29, 2020San Jose, CaliforniaA former San Jose Planning Commissioner was pushed to the ground and repeatedly shot with impact munitions by police.May 30, 2020Albany, New YorkPolice used tear gas after a protest turned violent. Tear gas spread into a nearby home, causing a resident who inhaled some of it to suffer lingering health effects. May 30, 2020 Atlanta, Georgia Officers from the Atlanta Police Department pulled two black students from their car, broke a car window, and used tasers to shock them. This came after officers arrested a classmate of theirs whom they wanted to pick up; an officer ordered the students to continue driving, which they complied with. One officer claimed that one of the students possessed a gun, but no gun was found. One of the students stated that he was punched over 10 times in the back after being arrested. Within days, six officers were charged as a result of the incident; two were fired and four were put on administrative leave. The Fulton County District Attorney, Paul Howard, stated that the two college students were "innocent almost to the point of being naive".May 30, 2020Austin, Texas16-year-old Levi Ayala suffered brain damage after being shot in the head with a less-lethal round by Austin police officer Nicholas Gebhart. Gebhart and several other officers were later indicted for shooting protesters with non-lethal projectiles.May 30, 2020Austin, TexasA deaf man was hit by less-lethal projectiles in the ear and crotch.May 30, 2020Chicago, IllinoisJournalist Jonathan Ballew was broadcasting the protest when he was allegedly assaulted with a chemical agent. May 30, 2020 Chicago, Illinois Police attacked actor John Cusack, who was filming the protest. May 30, 2020 Chicago, Illinois An officer beat a woman in her vehicle and wrongfully arrested her. In 2022 the officer faced dismissal for the incident.May 30, 2020Cincinnati, OhioAn officer shoved a man from behind with a shield.May 30, 2020Cincinnati, OhioA singular protester standing with his hands raised was tear gassed.May 30, 2020Cincinnati, OhioPolice fired pepper balls at a group of 20 people without warning.May 30, 2020Cincinnati, OhioPolice shot a man taking photos in the eye with a marking round, causing the man to suffer vision problems. The man filed an excessive force complained but it was ruled not sustained, as the Citizen Complaint Authority was not able to determine which officer fired the round. May 30, 2020 Cleveland, Ohio A man lost sight in one eye after being hit with a beanbag round. May 30, 2020 Cleveland, Ohio A sheriff's deputy fired beanbag round at a man passing out water, hitting him in the back of the head. The same deputy fired a beanbag that blinded a different man on the same date. The man hit with the beanbag round later filed a lawsuit.May 30, 2020Columbus, OhioColumbus Police were filmed pepper spraying Congresswoman Joyce Beatty, Commissioner Kevin Boyce, and Council President Shannon Hardin during a demonstration near the Ohio Statehouse.May 30, 2020Columbus, Ohio