Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney Apologizes For Police Using Tear Gas On Protesters

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 03rd June, 2020) Levar Stoney, mayor of Virginia's capital Richmond, apologized on Tuesday that the city police used tear gas to disperse against protesters the previous night.

"I apologize for that," Stoney told a crown of protesters in Richmond.

On Monday night, hundreds of Richmond residents gathered in downtown to protest the death of African American man George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis, Minnesota on May 25.

A video posted online the following day showed a white police officer pinning Floyd's neck with his knee for at least eight minutes while Floyd lied on his stomach handcuffed saying he cannot breathe.

On Monday, the county examiner ruled Floyd's death a homicide.

Protests have been organized throughout the United States against police brutality and racism, but many soon turned into riots complete with arson, looting and violence.

During the protests in Richmond on Monday, the police fired tear gas canisters from an area of the city where they were stationed, local media reported.