London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Sep 11, 2026

Transcripts Show George Floyd Told Cops He Couldn't Breathe More Than 20 Times: "I'll Probably Just Die This Way"

Transcripts Show George Floyd Told Cops He Couldn't Breathe More Than 20 Times: "I'll Probably Just Die This Way"

"Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
George Floyd told Minneapolis police officers he couldn't breathe more than 20 times before they noticed he had passed out, according to new transcripts of body camera footage filed in court.

"I'm scared as fuck, man," Floyd told the officers as they restrained him. "Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."

Video footage of police pinning Floyd to the ground in a knee chokehold, ultimately killing the 46-year-old Black man, caused widespread outrage and sparked weeks of protests across the country. Transcripts of body camera footage show that Floyd had told officers at least 27 times that he couldn't breathe before passing out and dying.

"I can't breathe for nothing, man," Floyd told officers. "This is cold-blooded, man. Ah-ah!"

Despite Floyd's pleas, officer Derek Chauvin continued to hold Floyd down with his knee on his neck.

"Then stop talking. Stop yelling," he told Floyd, according to the transcript. "It takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."

Floyd continued to plead with officers to let him breathe until passing out.

"I can't breathe. I can't breathe," Floyd said. "I'll probably just die this way."

The transcripts were filed as part of a motion by former Minneapolis police officer Thomas Lane to have the charges against him dropped.

Four former police officers have been charged in Floyd's death, including Chauvin, Lane, J. Alexander Kueng, and Tou Thao.

Lane, Kueng, and Thao face two charges of aiding and abetting Chauvin in connection to Floyd's death. Chauvin is facing second-degree murder charges.

In the motion looking to have charges against Lane dropped, attorneys argue he was a new officer on the force and following the cues from Chauvin.

Although Chauvin was not Lane's field training officer, he was one in Lane's precinct and had provided the officer with instructions on how to deal with other calls.

Attorneys point out that Lane had called for paramedics and, while holding on to Floyd's legs, asked, "Should we roll him on his side?"

"No, he's staying put where we got him," Chauvin responded.

When Floyd passed out, video and transcripts from the incident show, bystanders had started to point out to police that the 46-year-old was not responsive, but Chauvin continued to pin his neck to the ground.

However, after the incident, Chauvin did check on his colleagues.

"You guys alright, though?" he asked the officers after Floyd was no longer moving.

"Yeah," Lane responded. "I mean, my knee might be a little scratched, but I'll survive."
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
English Councils to Gain Power to Introduce Tourist Taxes by 2028
Kemi Badenoch Reshuffles Conservative Shadow Cabinet
Firefighters Make Progress Containing Major Wildfires in South Wales
John Lewis Partnership Reports £124 Million Loss
Study Says UK AI Data Centres Will Create Only a Quarter of Forecast Jobs
UK Government Considers Higher Industrial Water Prices Amid Supply Pressures
Andy Burnham Holds First Call With Donald Trump as UK Prime Minister
NHS Records Busiest Summer on Record as Heatwaves Drive Hospital Admissions
Home Secretary Orders Police Crackdown on Far-Right Anti-Migrant Vigilantes
UK Supreme Court Rules Northern Ireland Religious Education Curriculum Breaches Human Rights Standards
Markets Price in Four Bank of England Rate Rises by Next Summer
House of Commons Prepares Free Vote on Assisted Dying Bill
UK Government Bans Trade With Israeli Settlements in Occupied Territories
UK Economy Grows 0.4% in July as Artificial Intelligence Investment Supports Expansion
Andy Burnham Becomes UK Prime Minister After Keir Starmer Resigns
John Lewis Partnership Loss Widens to £124 Million
UK Government to Put White Working-Class Social Mobility at Centre of Equality Policy
McLaren Plans £450 Million Technology Investment Creating 1,000 UK Jobs
UK Chancellor Faces Calls for Wealth Taxes and Public Ownership in Autumn Budget
English Mayors to Gain Powers to Impose Uncapped Overnight Tourist Taxes
JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon Warns UK Government Against Bank Windfall Taxes
UK Air Traffic Control Outage Cancels More Than 2,000 Flights
UK Imposes Trade Ban on Israeli Settlements in the West Bank
UK Borrowing Costs Surge as Middle East Tensions Push Long-Term Gilt Yields to Highest Since 1998
Buckingham Palace Says Prince Harry and Meghan Will Not Resume Official Royal Duties
UK Treasury Faces Calls to Scrap £100,000 Childcare Support Threshold
Trades Union Congress Urges Labour Government to Rewrite Migration Policy
Riot Police Deployed After Anti-Migrant Protests Turn Violent in Portsmouth
UK Considers Replacing Some Disability Cash Payments With Direct Services
JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon Warns UK Chancellor Against Higher Banking Taxes
UK Announces New Sanctions Targeting Israeli Settlements in West Bank
Metropolitan Police Investigate Alleged Illegal Donations to Reform UK
UK Charges Wiltshire Man With Assisting Russian Intelligence
UK Orders Urgent Review After Air Traffic Failure Cancels More Than 2,000 Flights
Merz Rebukes AfD Expansion in Saxony-Anhalt
King Charles Confirms Prince Harry and Meghan Will Remain Private Citizens
Labour Selects Former Child Refugee for By-Election in Keir Starmer’s Former Seat
Foreign Private Equity Accelerates Takeovers of London-Listed Industrial Companies
NHS Maternity Care Faces Scrutiny Over Support for Mothers After Caesarean Births
BBC Warns Staff Strikes Are Likely Amid Job Cuts and Programme Cancellations
English Housing Affordability Improves to Best Level in More Than a Decade
UK Health Commission Proposes Framework for Wider AI Adoption Across NHS
Labour Faces Pressure for Wealth Tax Ahead of Autumn Budget
Metropolitan Police Open Criminal Investigation Into Alleged Foreign Donations to Reform UK
UK Police Deploy Riot Officers After Anti-Immigration Unrest in Portsmouth and Dover
UK Defends Sanctions on Israeli Settlements Despite Diplomatic Retaliation
UK Air Traffic Control Failure Cancels More Than 1,000 Flights and Disrupts 65,000 Passengers
Compass Urges £10 Million Wealth Tax and Public Ownership Ahead of UK Autumn Budget
UK Government’s Devolution Plans Face House of Lords Scrutiny
Maldives Seeks New Chagos Sovereignty Talks With UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham
×