GEORGE Floyd’s best friend says the 46-year-old would have never knowingly use fake $20 bill — which is what cops say they arrested him for before he died.
Alvin Manago, 55, told DailyMail.com that Floyd was a good man and if he did use counterfeit money on May 25, it was not purposely.
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“I’ve never known Floyd to use any counterfeit money,” Floyd’s roommate of four years said. “If he tried to pass along a counterfeit $20 bill it was unintentional.”
“’He probably didn’t know the money was fake.”
He added: “I’m just not sure why the store employees didn’t just tell him it was a fake $20. They all knew him them. He was a regular customer.”
The two became friends while working at the Conga Bistro Bar and Grill together; Floyd worked as security and Manago worked as a bar back.
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Last week, a clerk at Cup Foods in Minneapolis called the police on Floyd, claiming he was trying to buy cigarettes with a fake bill.
Police officers arrested Floyd outside of the store, and, while in custody, former Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin held his knee against the back of Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes.
Floyd repeatedly said he couldn’t breathe.
The medical examiner’s office initially said Floyd was transported to a hospital where he died, but a second, independent autopsy determined Floyd died at the scene.
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The autopsy, conducted by Michael Baden and Allecia Wilson, determined Floyd’s death was a homicide.
“Sustained pressure on the right side of Mr Floyd’s carotid artery impeded blood flow to the brain, and weight on his back impeded his ability to breathe,” a statement from the family’s attorney read.
“The independent examiners found that weight on the back, handcuffs, and positioning were contributory factors because they impaired the ability of Mr Floyd’s diaphragm to function.”
On Wednesday, Chauvin’s charge of third-degree murder was upgraded to second-degree, and three other cops involved in Floyd’s arrest were charged with aiding and abetting murder.
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Manago said Floyd was a good person, and added: “’He didn’t deserve to die this way. Floyd needs justice.”
“Floyd would be against the violence and looting. He wouldn’t want people looting and burning buildings in his name. He didn’t promote violence.”
“He’d be disgusted with what’s going on in the country. I don’t want the looting and rioting attached to his name, he wouldn’t want that.”
The friend said: “Floyd needs justice. Floyd didn’t deserve to die that way he did.”
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The owner of the store who called the cops on Floyd wrote in a Facebook post on Sunday that he will no longer cooperate with the police because it “always does more harm than good.”
Mahmoud Abumayyaleh said his nephew at the store berated the police while they tussled with Floyd, he said, and was pushed away by the officers.
The store owner continued: “The incidents that led up to this event teach us all an important lesson about dealing with police.”
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“By simply following procedure we are putting our communities in danger,” he wrote. “Until the police stop killing innocent people, we will handle incidents like this one using non-violent tactics that do not involve police.”
“Despite the fact that George never resisted arrest, police proceeded to end George Floyd’s life over a counterfeit bill.”
“It’s likely that George did not even know that he had a fake bill, to begin with.”