George Floyd protests: Two Buffalo Police officers suspended for allegedly injuring elderly man, 57 officials resign

A video shot by a bystander in Buffalo, New York, on Thursday showed two members of the unit pushing the elderly man and knocking him to the ground. The man, later identified as Martin Gugino, was seen lying on the pavement with blood streaming from his ear.

Buffalo Police earlier said that the man ‘tripped and fell’ while they were clearing the area to enforce an emergency lockdown. However, soon after the video went viral on social media, Commissioner Byron Lockwood ordered the suspension of the two police officers involved in the incident.

BREAKING: Buffalo’s police commissioner orders immediate Internal Affairs investigation into this incident: 2 officers shoving an elderly man, who walked up to them, to the ground. @news4buffalo reports the man suffered a laceration & possible concussion
pic.twitter.com/qbTvXAAPLH

— David Begnaud (@DavidBegnaud) June 5, 2020

“Fifty-seven resigned in disgust because of the treatment of two of their members, who were simply executing orders,” President of the union for Buffalo Police officers John Evans told a local television station on Friday.

The officials have resigned from the emergency unit, but remain in the police force, Evans confirmed.

When I saw the video from Buffalo, it made me sick to my stomach. Where was the threat? How can you walk by a person when there’s blood coming out of his head? It’s fundamentally inhumane & frightening.

This is a moment for change. NY will lead the way.pic.twitter.com/7UrTLq4RUo

— Archive: Governor Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) June 5, 2020

Earlier, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, reacting to the video, said, “When I saw the video from Buffalo, it made me sick to my stomach. Where was the threat? How can you walk by a person when there’s blood coming out of his head?

“It’s fundamentally inhumane & frightening. This is a moment for change. NY will lead the way,” he tweeted.

Stirred by the death of George Floyd, protesters vowed to turn an extraordinary outpouring of grief into a sustained movement as demonstrations shifted to a calmer, but no less determined focus on addressing racial injustice.