Faces of six unarmed black people shot dead by US cops since George Floyd’s death

Today marks a year to the day since the murder of George Floyd by a Minnesota police officer shocked the world.

The unarmed black man died aged 46 when police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for almost 10 minutes during an arrest in Minneapolis.

It sparked protests in the US and across the world and Chauvin was last month convicted of of murder and manslaughter. He is due to be sentenced next month.

Worryingly though, not much appears to have changed in the US concerning how police officers deal with black people.

The rate of fatal police shootings among black Americans is far higher than for any other ethnicity, standing at 36 fatal shootings per million of the population as of April 2021. The number for white people is less than half of that at 15.

There are numerous stories about unarmed black people being shot by police even after George’s sickening murder.

Here are some of their stories.

Daunte Wright

Daunte died on April 11, 2021 after he was stopped by police in Minneapolis, the same city where George Floyd was killed almost a year earlier.

The 20-year-old was fatally shot by police officer Kimberly Potter during a traffic stop.

Officers told him he was being arrested for an outstanding warrant. After a struggle, Daunte broke free and tried to re-enter his car.

An officer is heard shouting “Taser” several times before firing a shot, killing Daunte.

It is claimed that Mrs Potter had meant to use her Taser and not her handgun, but the victim’s family has rejected this explanation and protests over the shooting have continued.

Mrs Potter has resigned from the police and has been charged with second-degree manslaughter.

Casey Goodson

The death of Casey, who was shot dead by police while holding a sandwich outside his grandmother’s house in Columbus, Ohio, sparked outrage.

The 23-year-old was holding a Subway sandwich, not a gun, according to his family, who say two toddlers and his grandmother witnessed the young man getting gunned down on December 4, 2020.

His family said he did not have a criminal record and was not the target of any investigation.

Casey was shot six times in the back by Franklin County sheriff’s deputy Jason Meade as he put his keys in the door.

His grandmother told a 911 dispatcher: “My grandson just got shot in the back when he came in the house.”

Meade was suspended by the police but a decision is yet to be made on whether he will face charges.

David McAtee

David was shot and killed by police in Louisville, Kentucky, in the protests that took place in the day following George’s murder.

The 53-year-old was shot dead on June 1, 2020 when he was fired on by police officers Katie Crews and Austin Allen, and two unnamed National Guard soldiers.

After his tragic death was announced, Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer fired police chief Steve Conrad when it emerged the officers involved in the shooting did not have their body cameras turned on.

The mayor said: “This type of institutional failure will not be tolerated. Accordingly, I have relieved Steve Conrad of his duties as chief of the Louisville Metro Police Department.”

Restaurant owner James is said to have fed cops who worked in his part of the city for free.

The police said that the officers and national guards discharged their weapons after the victim fire a gun, although surveillance footage does not show James firing a weapon.

Trayford Pellerin

The killing of Trayford in Lafayette, Louisiana, sparked yet more protests after his shooting was captured on video.

The 31-year-old was killed by police on August 21, 2020, who say he was armed with a knife and was trying to enter a convenience store after stun guns reportedly failed to stop him.

His family believe he was suffering a mental health crisis, with mum Michelle saying he became anxious in groups and may have been frightened by the officers.

Civil rights lawyer Ben Crump said: “Instead of giving him a helping hand they gave him bullets.

“The officers involved should be fired immediately for their abhorrent and fatal actions.”

Earlier this month it was reported that the police involved in the shooting will not face charges.

Taryford’s heartbroken parents have filed a civil lawsuit against Lafayette Police Department and the local government, and a hearing for the case is still pending.

His dad Cedrick said the family does not believe his son had a knife, adding: “We need justice, transparency, accountability, because anyone who’s seen the video could know it is blatant murder. It’s overkill as well.”

Rayshard Brooks

Rayshard, 27, was shot by police as he fled officers in a restaurant car park in Atlanta, Georgia.

The events leading up to Rayshard’s death were caught on camera by police, eyewitnesses and Wendy’s, the nearby restaurant on June 12, 2020.

After a breathalyser test revealed that the victim was over the drink-drive limit, officers Garrett Rolfe and Devin Brosnan began to handcuff.

Rayshard grabbed Brosnan’s Taser and attempted to run away.

Rolfe ran after Rayshard, who turned and fired the Taser towards Rolfe’s head. The officer then fired his weapon three times, hitting Rayshard twice.

Rolfe was charged with felony murder and 10 other offences while Brosnan has been charged with aggravated assault and two counts of violation of oath.

Rolfe was fired the day after Rayshard’s death but he was reinstated by the Atlanta Civil Service Board earlier this month despite proceedings being ongoing.

Andrew Brown Jr

Andrew was shot in the head by police on April 21, 2021, in Elizabeth City, North Carolina.

Officers were serving drug-related search and arrest warrants at the 42-year-old’s house when a confrontation happened.

The officers involved in the fatal shooting will not face criminal charges after the Elizabeth City district attorney said the police response was “justified”.

Officials say Andrew drove his car at police during the 44-second encounter.

But his family say he was “executed” and shots were first fired while the car was sat stationary in his driveway with both of his hands on the steering wheel.

Brown died one day after Derek Chauvin was convicted of the murder of George Floyd.