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Suburban Detroit officer on leave after Floyd Facebook post

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Posted at 1:55 PM, Feb 25, 2021
and last updated 2021-02-25 13:55:17-05

STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. (AP) — A suburban Detroit police department has placed one of its officers on unpaid leave after a social media post making light of the death of George Floyd was shared.

WXYZ-TV reports that a photo of Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin with his knee on Floyd’s neck, along with the statement “When you gotta change a tire but don’t wanna get your trousers dirty,” was shared by the Sterling Heights officer on Facebook. Floyd, a Black man, died May 25 after Chauvin, who is white, pressed his knee against Floyd’s neck while he was handcuffed and saying he couldn’t breathe.

Chauvin, who was fired, is awaiting trial.

Floyd’s death sparked protests in Minneapolis, Detroit and other cities and led to a nationwide reckoning on race.