Joe Biden shares thoughts on George Floyd's death, says nation needs to 'heal its soul'

Former US Vice President Joe Biden on Friday said that the "open wound" of systemic racism was behind the police killing of a handcuffed black man in Minnesota. In a statement delivered regarding the killing of a black man by the police officials, Biden added that he had spoken to George Floyd's family earlier.

READ: George Floyd's Death: Ex-police Officer Arrested, Charged With Murder

Biden speaks out on Floyd's death

"We are a country with an open wound. And none of us can turn away. None of us can be silent. None of us can any longer, can we hear the words 'I can't breath' and do nothing. The original sin of this country still stains our nation today, and sometimes we manage to overlook it." Biden said.

After Floyd's death, a video surfaced online which showed Floyd being handcuffed to the ground and could be heard repeating that he could not breathe.

Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said Derek Chauvin, the police officer caught kneeling on Floyd was charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter. 

The incident has sparked furious protests across USA, especially in Minneapolis, where the incident took place. Protestors carried signs against the brutality against those of a different race. 

READ: Minnesota Timberwolves State They Won't Be Taking George Floyd's Death Lightly

A police spokesman confirmed late Thursday that staff had evacuated the 3rd Precinct station in Minneapolis, the focus of many of the protests, “in the interest of the safety of our personnel” shortly after 10 p.m. Livestream video showed the protesters entering the building, where fire alarms blared and sprinklers ran as blazes were set. Protests first erupted Tuesday, a day after Floyd’s death in a confrontation with police captured on the widely seen citizen video.

On Friday morning, nearly every building in the shopping district around the abandoned police station had been vandalized, burned or looted. National Guard members were in the area, with several of them lined up, keeping people away from the police station.

READ: George Floyd Protesters Set Minneapolis Police Station Afire

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