The death of George Floyd, a 46-year old African American man, at the hands of four police officers at Minneapolis, Minnesota, has sparked riots in the city and protests in other parts of the country. New details have emerged in the case involving Floyd and the ex-policeman Derek Chauvin, who was caught on camera kneeling on Floyd's neck as he gasped for air.
Both Floyd and Chauvin worked as security guards at El Nuevo Rodeo club and restaurant in Minneapolis. They worked at the same time; the only difference was while Chauvin worked outside the building, Floyd worked inside.
The fact has been confirmed by Maya Santamaria, the owner of the building. According to her, Chauvin worked as her off-duty guard for almost the entirety of 17 years that they were open. While Chauvin was deployed outside, all the security guards who included Floyd, worked inside.
Even though they worked at the same place at the same time, she was not sure if the two knew each other. This was because there were more than a dozen security guards, including off-duty officers, KSTP reported.
Santamaria said that when her friend sent her a video of Floyd's assault, she did not believe it was him. It was when her friend sent her a closeup that she believed that he was in fact, Floyd. "He looked really different lying there like that," she said.
Santamaria owned the building for almost two decades, but sold it over the last couple of months. She still operates La Raza 95.7 FM radio station in the same building which houses the El Nuevo Rodeo club. They were forced to go off-air due to a power outage resulting from the protests, that have often turned violent.
The building is situated close to the Minneapolis Police Department, which is a major protest site. Since the demonstrations have spilled to nearby areas, Santamaria's business has also been affected. The glass windows have been broken and graffiti is painted all over the building.
