George Floyd was arrested outside of Cup Foods on Chicago Avenue and 38th Street in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He allegedly tried to buy a pack of cigarettes with a counterfeit $20 bill. As a regular precaution, a store clerk called the police, who detained the 46-year-old man before forcefully pinning him onto the ground. Derek Chauvin, one of the since-fired officers, used his knee to apply pressure on Floyd's neck and back, which cut off his airway and ended up killing him by asphyxia.
The owner of Cup Foods has taken to Facebook to speak about the incident, implementing some changes in his shop's procedures and criticizing the cops who responded to the call.
"We are deeply saddened and outraged by what happened to George Floyd in front of our store," wrote Mahmoud Abumayyaleh. "There is no justification for the use of reckless force displayed by the police that murdered George Floyd. We support this protest and share in their anger."
Abumayyaleh noted in the post that he will no longer involve the police in non-violent incidents like this.
"By simply following procedure we are putting our communities in danger. Until the police stop killing innocent people, we will handle incidents like this one using non-violent tactics that do not involve police," he wrote. "We must stand together to fight against institutional racism."