2 New York cops suspended for shoving elderly man to the ground amid protests

The video was taken by a reporter from a local public radio station

buffalo police brutality Buffalo police officers appear to shove a man who walked up to police | WBFO via AP

Two police officers from Buffalo, New York, were caught on video shoving a 75-year-old to the ground. Both of them were suspended without pay on Thursday after the video showing them in the act went online.

The incident took place as protests over the police killing of George Floyd continued into their tenth night.

The video was taken by a reporter from local public radio station WBFO and posted on its website and Twitter account.

Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown tweeted on Thursday night that he is "deeply disturbed" by the video and that the elderly man remains in "stable but serious condition".

Buffalo police said that a man tripped and fell down, but it isn’t clear whether they were referring to the incident where the senior citizen began bleeding from his head.

The video, which shows the white-haired man approaching a line of officers in riot gear, drew widespread condemnation on social media as protesters returned to the streets of several US cities to demonstrate against police brutality.

New York Mayor Andrew Cuomo, too, expressed condemnation of the incident. “This incident is wholly unjustified and utterly disgraceful,” he tweeted.

Both peaceful and violent protests have been taking place ever since George Floyd died in Minneapolis on May 25 after former police officer Derek Chauvin suffocated him by putting his knee on Floyd’s neck while trying to detain him.

Incidentally, Thursday was also when Floyd was laid to rest. At a memorial service, where hundreds gathered, civil rights leader Al Sharpton vowed mass protests will continue until "we change the whole system of justice”.

“It's time for us to stand up in George's name and say get your knee off our necks," AFP quoted the 65-year-old Baptist minister as saying.

“You changed the world, George," he said. "We're going to keep fighting, George,” he added.