Final minutes of Mr. George Floyd's breath: Records reveal the principal events that led to Mr. Floyd's death.

 Final minutes of Mr. George Floyd's breath: Records reveal the principal events that led to Mr. Floyd's death

Mr. George Floyd

 There is a nationwide serious situation in the US as the civilians are objecting to the death of an African-American in police custody.

Mr. George Floyd, 46, died after being arrested by police outside a shop in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Footage of the arrest on 25 May reveals a white police officer, Mr. Derek Chauvin, kneeling on Mr. Floyd's neck while he was pinned to the ground.

Mr. Chauvin, 44, has since been accused of murder. The principal events that led to Mr. Floyd's death occurred within just 30 minutes. Based on statements from witnesses, video footage, and official statements, here's what we know so far.

It originated with a report of a false $20 (£16.20) bill. A report was made on the evening of 25 May, when Mr. Floyd purchased a pack of cigarettes from Cup Foods, a grocery store. Believing the $20 bill he used to be false, a store employee informed it to the police.

Mr. Floyd had been residing in Minneapolis for several years after migrating there from his native Houston, Texas. He had recently been serving as a bouncer in the city but, like millions of other Americans, was left jobless by the coronavirus pandemic. Mr. Floyd was a regular customer at Cup Foods. He was a friendly face, a nice customer who never created any trouble, the store owner Mr. Mike Abumayyaleh told NBC.

But Mr. Abumayyaleh was not at the job on the day of the incident. In reporting the suspicious bill, his teenage worker was just following the rules. In a call to 911, made at 20:01, the employee told the operator that he had demanded the cigarettes back but "he [Mr. Floyd] doesn't want to do that", according to a record released by authorities.

The employee said the man seemed "drunk" and "not in control of himself", the record says. Soon after the call, at around 20:08, two police officers appeared. Mr. Floyd was sitting with two other people in a car parked around the corner.

After nearing the car, one of the officers, Mr. Thomas Lane, picked out his gun and commanded Mr. Floyd to show his hands. In a statement of the incident, prosecutors do not describe why Mr. Lane considered it necessary to pull his gun. Mr. Lane, the prosecutor said, "put his hands on Mr. Floyd, and pulled him out of the car". Then Mr. Floyd "actively resisted being handcuffed".

Once handcuffed, though, Mr. Floyd became obedient while Mr. Lane revealed he was being arrested for "passing counterfeit currency". It was when officers attempted to put Mr. Floyd in their squad car that resulted in a struggle.

At about 20:14, Mr. Floyd "stiffened up, fell to the ground, and told the officers he was claustrophobic, fear of crowded places and of being in closed quarters or rooms", according to the statement. Mr. Chauvin appeared at the scene. He and other officers were involved in an additional effort to put Mr. Floyd in the police car.

During this effort, at 20:19, Mr. Chauvin drew Mr. Floyd away from the passenger side, causing him to fall to the ground, the report said. That's when witnesses began to film Mr. Floyd, who seemed to be distressed. These moments, captured on various mobile phones and shared publicly on social media, would prove to be Mr. Floyd's last.

Mr. Floyd was restrained by officers, while Mr. Chauvin placed his left knee between his head and neck. "I can't breathe," Mr. Floyd said repeatedly, begging for his mother and begging "please, please, please". For eight minutes and 46 seconds, Mr. Chauvin held his knee on Mr. Floyd's neck, the prosecutors' report says.

Roughly six minutes into that period, Mr. Floyd became non-responsive. In the videos of the incident, this was when Mr. Floyd came silent, as witnesses forced the officers to check his pulse. He was declared dead about an hour later.

More than 75 cities have seen protests over what happened to Mr. George Floyd. Places that only days ago were deserted because of the coronavirus pandemic have loaded with demonstrators marching shoulder to shoulder. Protests kicked off for another evening on Monday and more than 40 cities have imposed or prolonged their curfews. Thousands of people marched in New York, and video footage on social media revealed looting at major shops in Manhattan.