NEW ORLEANS — The NOPD has made an official comment on the death of George Floyd, a man who died in Minnesota while an officer had his knee on his head and he complained that he couldn't breathe.
Onlookers took video of the encounter and could be heard yelling for police to let the man go from the hold.
In addition to the statement from the NOPD, Superintendent Shaun Ferguson took to Twitter to add his comments.
"As a father of 3 young black men and a leader of a law enforcement agency I understand the concern that many may have with injustices faced by black men. So as a father and the Superintendent of Police, I consider it my responsibility to encourage and enforce ethics."
Here is the statement from the NOPD:
The circumstances that led to the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis while in police custody are troubling and disturbing.
The New Orleans Police Department does not condone what officers did and did not do in the death of Mr. Floyd.
NOPD officers are encouraged to do interventions with one another when necessary as part of their EPIC training. EPIC stands for – “Ethical Policing is Courageous.” EPIC teaches officers methods to prevent their own from participating in police misconduct.
The NOPD is committed to using training, like EPIC, to help provide the best constitutional policing for the citizens of New Orleans.