TWO US POLICE officers have been suspended after an elderly man was left in a serious condition in hospital following an incident near protests in the New York city of Buffalo.
A video from local radio station WBFO posted on social media shows how the 75 year-old man was pushed to the ground by officers who were policing demonstrations in the city.
The footage, which has gone viral, shows a number of officers walk past the man as he lies motionless on the ground, before another officer calls for volunteers to assist him as he bleeds from his ear.
WBFO reports that the man, who has not been identified, was taken to Erie County Medical Centre in the city, where he was in a stable but serious condition.
You can watch the video here. Warning: contains graphic images.
A statement by Buffalo mayor Byron Brown confirmed that the two officers who pushed the man over have been suspended without pay, and an investigation into the incident is underway.
“I was deeply disturbed by the video, as was Buffalo Police Commissioner Byron Lockwood,” Brown said.
He also described the video as “disheartening” following days of peaceful protests in the city, and said his thoughts were with the victim.
Earlier, New York governor Andrew Cuomo also hit out at the footage.
“This incident is wholly unjustified and utterly disgraceful,” he posted on Twitter.
“I’ve spoken with Buffalo @MayorByronBrown and we agree that the officers involved should be immediately suspended pending a formal investigation. Police officers must enforce — not abuse — the law.”
Further demonstrations took place across the US last night in response to the killing of George Floyd at the hands of police officers in Minneapolis last week.
Crowds also gathered at a memorial service in Minneapolis for a memorial service for the 46 year-old, whose death has seen a resurgence in Black Lives Matter protests in the US and across the globe.
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