Video shows 10-year-old boy stopping driveway basketball game to hide from passing police car
TRUMBULL, Conn. - A young Connecticut boy, who was playing basketball in a driveway, was caught on camera stopping his game and hiding from a passing police vehicle on June 6.
The footage shows 10-year-old Eliah dribbling a basketball in a driveway as a police car drives by, prompting the boy to hide behind a vehicle until the law enforcement vehicle passed.
Stacey Pierre-Louis, Eliah’s father, shared the story on Instagram. He wrote, “Why does he feel like he has to hide when he isn’t doing anything wrong?
Pierre-Louis added, “I asked him why he did that when he got home. He replied; ‘because they killed George Floyd.’”
Floyd died after being arrested by police outside a shop in Minneapolis, Minnesota on May 25.
A white police officer pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes, even after Floyd pleaded for air.Two of the former Minneapolis police officers charged in the death of George Floyd are out of jail after posting bail.
According to online records, J. Kueng, 26, posted bail of $750,000 and was released from the Hennepin County Jail, with conditions, about 7:30 p.m. Friday.
Kueng is charged with aiding and abetting both second-degree murder and manslaughter for his role in the May 25 death of Floyd, a handcuffed Black man who died after another officer, Derek Chauvin, pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes.
Another former officer charged with aiding and abetting in Floyd’s death, Thomas Lane, 37, posted bail earlier this month.
The third ex-officer charged with aiding and abetting, Tou Thao, 34, remained in jail Saturday.
Chauvin, 44, is being held on $1 million bail at Minnesota’s maximum security prison in Oak Park Heights.Lane's attorney, Earl Gray, has said that Lane was a rookie, and that the only thing he did was hold Floyd’s feet so he couldn’t kick.
All four officers were fired after Floyd's death. Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
The video follows weeks of nationwide protests over police brutality that have spread around the world. In recent weeks, both Democrats and Republicans have proposed bills to bring changes to police practices and accountability.
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Eliah’s reaction to seeing a police vehicle continues to capture the attention of many over social media.
NBA star Lebron James retweeted the video and shared his feelings, saying, “Breaks my heart!!”
Pierre-Louise wrote that he didn’t know, and still doesn’t know, what to say to his son to make it better.
“A manager at my job told me to tell him that doing what he did is ridiculous and that I should teach him not to be fearful of police. Deep down I don’t know if it’s true, maybe staying out of the way is best,” Pierre-Louise wrote.
Pierre-Louise wrote the following statement to Fox TV, "Cumulatively, this video has been viewed over 65M+ times which is still astonishing to me. Since I've shared this video, we've been overwhelmed with support and encouraging messages, which leads me to believe that there is far more good in this world than there is bad. And through much of the feedback, I've learned that it's been a teachable moment for most. It is our hope that this video can continue to be used as a conduit for conversations that may be uncomfortable yet honest and constructive. Ultimately we hope that this helps to continue to bring us together and inspire change for the better."
Storyful and The Associated Press contributed to this story.