Nevada law enforcement leaders call George Floyd’s death alarming

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A handful of people protesting the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis wave signs Thursday, May 28, 2020 on Las Vegas Boulevard South and Sands Avenue. (Chase Stevens / Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo answers questions during a news conference at Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department headquarters on Aug. 3, 2018. (Michael Quine / Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Vegas88s
Nevada Highway Patrol Col. Daniel Solow
Demonstrators gather to demand justice for George Floyd along the Las Vegas Strip on Thursday, May 28, 2020. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto
Demonstrators gather to demand justice for George Floyd along the Las Vegas Strip on Thursday, May 28, 2020. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto
Demonstrators march to demand justice for George Floyd along the Las Vegas Strip on Thursday, May 28, 2020. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto
Demonstrators march to demand justice for George Floyd along the Las Vegas Strip on Thursday, May 28, 2020. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto
Demonstrators march to demand justice for George Floyd along the Las Vegas Strip on Thursday, May 28, 2020. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto
Demonstrators march to demand justice for George Floyd along the Las Vegas Strip on Thursday, May 28, 2020. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto
Demonstrators march to demand justice for George Floyd along the Las Vegas Strip on Thursday, May 28, 2020. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto
Demonstrators gather to demand justice for George Floyd along the Las Vegas Strip on Thursday, May 28, 2020. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto
Demonstrators march to demand justice for George Floyd along the Las Vegas Strip on Thursday, May 28, 2020. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto
Demonstrators march to demand justice for George Floyd along the Las Vegas Strip on Thursday, May 28, 2020. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto
Demonstrators march to demand justice for George Floyd along the Las Vegas Strip on Thursday, May 28, 2020. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto

Joining a choir of disapproval on social media from police chiefs and sheriffs across the country, Nevada law enforcement leaders on Thursday distanced their agencies from the actions of a Minneapolis officer involved in the death of an unarmed black man.

“The deplorable incident in Minneapolis chills me and goes against all that I teach and have been taught in my career as a Trooper,” Nevada Highway Patrol Col. Daniel Solow tweeted on Thursday morning.

On Monday night, an employee at a Minneapolis grocery store called police after a man, later identified as 46-year-old George Floyd, allegedly tried to pass a counterfeit $20 bill.

In widely circulated cellphone video of his subsequent arrest, Floyd can be seen on the ground with his hands cuffed behind his back while police officer Derek Chauvin presses him to the pavement, his knee on Floyd’s neck. Three other officers were at the scene.

The video shows Chauvin, who is white, holding Floyd down for minutes as the man complains that he can’t breathe. The video ends with paramedics lifting a limp Floyd onto a stretcher and placing him in an ambulance.

Within 24 hours of Floyd’s death, Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo fired Chauvin and the three other officers, identified as Thomas Lane, Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng.

Floyd’s death has sparked unrest in Minneapolis, where conflict between protesters and police officers has erupted two days in a row. On Tuesday, officers in riot gear fired tear gas at protesters, some damaging property as they marched more than 2 miles. During Wednesday’s protests, some protesters threw rocks and bottles at police.

‘Deeply disturbing’

Solow’s tweet on Thursday included photos of troopers interacting with members of the community.

“This is the face of policing: part of the community, never against it,” the tweet continued. “This career is about service & making everyone’s lives better and secure.”

Meanwhile, Sheriff Joe Lombardo, Clark County’s top police officer, wrote on Twitter: “The death of Mr. Floyd is deeply disturbing. The officers’ actions and inaction are inconsistent with the training and protocols of our profession and the LVMPD. I can assure you the LVMPD will strive each day to continue to build your trust.”