SALT LAKE CITY — As violent protests erupted in Minnesota over the police killing of George Floyd, Utah Sen. Mitt Romney joined the chorus of those condemning racist brutality.
“No Americans should fear enmity and harm from those sworn to protect us. The death of George Floyd must not be in vain: Our shock and outrage must grow into collective determination to extinguish forever such racist abuse,” the Republican senator tweeted Thursday.
Rep. Ben McAdams, D-Utah, said the “senseless” killing of Floyd is “shocking and outrageous. He called for an investigation into his death and that those responsible he held accountable.
“Let this be a moment when we ask what we can each do to heal this deep divide in our country until, paraphrasing Frederick Douglass, ‘the blessings in which we rejoice — the rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity and independence ... is shared’ by every American,” he said in a tweet.
The Department of Justice says it has made an investigation into Floyd’s death a “top priority” and has assigned experienced prosecutors and FBI criminal investigators to the case, according to a statement Thursday.
“The federal investigation will determine whether the actions by the involved former Minneapolis Police Department officers violated federal law,” U.S. Attorney for Minnesota Erica MacDonald and Rainer Drolshagen, the FBI special agent in charge of the Minneapolis field office, said in a joint statement. “It is a violation of federal law for an individual acting under color of law to willfully deprive another person of any right protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States.”
Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, died on Memorial Day as police arrested him outside a convenience store on a report of a counterfeit bill being passed.
Floyd is seen on video gasping for breath during the arrest in which an officer kneeled on his neck for almost eight minutes. In the footage, Floyd says he cannot breathe before he slowly stops talking and moving. The cause of Floyd’s death hasn’t been released.
The Minneapolis Police Department quickly fired the four police officers shown in the video.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has called for prosecutors to press charges, while Floyd’s family members want the officers specifically charged with murder.
A second day of protests turned violent with people throwing rocks, setting fires, smashing police vehicles and looting nearby businesses. Police used tear gas to quell the rioters.
President Donald Trump on Wednesday called Floyd’s death ”very sad and tragic” and said “justice will be served” in the case.
“I have asked for this investigation to be expedited and greatly appreciate all of the work done by local law enforcement,” he tweeted.
Democratic Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall also weighed in earlier this week.
“George Floyd. Say his name, and know his story. Know that his death was inhumane and unjust. Know the trauma that his, and every other death like his, causes for the black community and our nation. My heart today is with his family and community,” Mendenhall tweeted.