FACT CHECK: Does This Photo Show People Stealing During George Floyd Protests?

Trevor Schakohl | Legal Reporter

An image shared on Facebook purportedly shows people stealing from a store during George Floyd protests.

Verdict: False

The photo was actually taken during protests in 2015, long before Floyd died.

Fact Check:

Protests have occurred in major U.S. cities since Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, died on May 25 in Minneapolis police custody. Alongside some of these protests, there have been instances of looting, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Facebook users attempted to link a photo of people stealing goods from a store to the protests sparked by Floyd’s death. One such post reads, “Look at the pain and grief on all their faces as they mourn the tragic loss of George Floyd.”

But the photo predates Floyd’s death by several years. Photographer Jerry Jackson took the picture for the Baltimore Sun outside a CVS Pharmacy in Baltimore during protests after Freddie Gray died in April 2015 of a spinal cord injury incurred in police custody. The Baltimore Sun published the photo in a slideshow titled “100 lasting images from the Freddie Gray protests and aftermath in Baltimore.”

“Looters empty the CVS at Pennsylvania and North Ave during Monday’s riot,” reads the caption. (RELATED: Are Two Of The Former Police Officers Involved In George Floyd’s Death In-Laws?)

Gray’s death sparked protests and riots in Baltimore, The New York Times reported. Six police officers were charged in connection with his death, but none of them were convicted, according to CNN.

Trevor Schakohl

Legal Reporter
Follow Trevor on Twitterhttps://twitter.com/tschakohl

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