New York cop suspended without pay after video showed him using chokehold on black man

A New York Police Department (NYPD) officer was suspended on June 21 without pay after videos of him emerged online where he can be seen using the chokehold grip on a Black man for allegedly being 'disorderly'. The video is garnering a lot of criticism including from the city Mayor Bill de Blasio who condemned the incident calling it unacceptable. New York City Police Commissioner Dermot Shea while talking to the press said that the officer involved has been suspended, but also criticised the foul language used by the Black man minutes before the incident. 

Read: Manuel Ellis Case: Police Officers Used Chokehold And Taser On Black Man, Shows New Video

New York Police Department had banned the use of a chokehold in 1993 and amidst the recent unrest that was sparked over the killing of an unarmed African-American man George Floyd, the video is attracting even more attention. According to reports, a full investigation has been launched against the officer who used the chokehold grip on the Black man in the viral video, who was later identified as Richard Bellevue by his attorney. The video shows two officers restraining the man on his stomach while one officer puts him in a chokehold before taking him to the car in handcuffs. 

Read: US: Nurse Punched After Protesters Say She Drove Into Crowd

US protests

Police brutality became a huge part of the protests against racial injustice that was ignited after George Floyd was killed by a Caucasian police officer named Derek Chauvin, who pinned him down to the ground and choked him to death with a knee on May 25. The horrific video of the incident went viral on social media in which Floyd can be heard saying 'I can't breathe'. Floyd's last words became the slogan of the protests across the country demanding reforms in policing and stricter laws to hold police officers accountable. President Donald Trump on June 16 signed an executive order introducing several police reforms. 

Read: Washington: Anti-racism Protest In Lafayette Square

Read: UK: Oxford College Votes In Favour Of Removing 19th-century Colonialist Rhodes' Statue

(Image Credit: AP)