LAPD officers ‘shared image of George Floyd with the caption “You take my breath away” ahead of Valentine’s Day’
- LAPD on Saturday confirmed it had launched an investigation into the reports
- An officer claimed ‘Valentine’ images of Floyd were circulated among the force
- Chief Michel Moore said the officer would be interviewed on Monday
- He said he had not yet seen any images being shared by officers
- Moore said that, if the images were shared, ‘people will find my wrath’
- Four Minneapolis police present on May 25 when Floyd died are awaiting trial
Los Angeles Police Department has launched an investigation after an officer reported that a ‘Valentine’ image of George Floyd was being shared among police with the caption ‘You take my breath away’.
Floyd, who was black, died on May 25 when a white Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, knelt on his neck for nine minutes while arresting him. Footage showed Floyd told cops ‘I can’t breathe’ more than 20 times before he died.
Michel Moore, chief of LAPD, said on Saturday that he had not seen the offensive image, and that he would interview the officer who reported it on Monday.
‘Our investigation is to determine the accuracy of the allegations while also reinforcing our zero tolerance for anything with racist views,’ the chief said.
Moore said that, if the department confirms officers were circulating the image, ‘people will find my wrath.’
Floyd died in Minneapolis on May 25 after Derek Chauvin, a police officer, knelt on his neck
Moore, chief of Los Angeles Police Department, has opened an investigation into the report
Moore also confirmed the department is investigating two Instagram accounts that people have reported as possibly being linked to department personnel — including one called the ‘Blue Line Mafia.’
Floyd was arrested for using a counterfeit $20 bill in a grocery store in Minneapolis
LAPD said in a statement: ‘The Department has become aware of allegations that an image was being passed around the department and this image was in the workplace. There are also allegations that the post with the image was authored by a department employee.
‘A personnel complaint has been initiated and we are pursuing each allegation including interviewing the department member who brought it to our attention.
‘At this point the Department has not identified any actual postings in the workplace or identified that it was in fact our department employee who created the image. We have raised the apparent existence of the image and directed commands to survey the worksites for it.
‘If found any employee or supervisor is directed to take possession and identify those present. The Department will have zero tolerance for this type of behavior.’
Chauvin and the three other officers who took part in Floyd’s arrest – Thomas Lane, J. Kueng, and Tou Thao – were fired the day after his death.
They are all facing trial for Floyd’s killing, with the trial expected to begin in March.
Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter. Lane, Kueng, and Thao are charged with aiding and abetting those crimes.
Left to right: Derek Chauvin, J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao
