Prominent Minneapolis George Floyd mural defaced

MINNEAPOLIS (NewsNation) — Someone defaced a giant mural of George Floyd at a Minneapolis intersection that has become a makeshift memorial and activist meeting point.

The individual is shown on surveillance video captured by Cup Foods the night of Aug. 18, using black spray paint to blot out the eyes of the mural, according to the Star Tribune.

A Minneapolis police spokesman said the department hasn’t taken any reports about the vandalized mural, however.

Cup Foods is a convenience store at the corner of 38th St. and Chicago Ave., where Floyd spent the last moments of his life before dying in police custody on May 25. The market called police claiming Floyd allegedly tried to use a counterfeit $20 bill. His death, after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee against Floyd’s neck for nearly eight minutes even as Floyd said he could not breathe, sparked global protests against racism and police abuses.

Witnesses of the vandalism incident and volunteer security members who keep watch on the intersection were able to speak with the suspected vandal briefly, who was later interviewed by the Minnesota Reformer.

The notable Minneapolis intersection has been closed to vehicles since Floyd’s death and city officials are determining how to reopen and preserve the site for the community. Recently, the city has allocated $100,000 to create a permanent memorial.

The city also plans to spend $4.8 million to temporarily rent an office building as a police precinct headquarters to replace the structure burned May 28 during unrest that followed Floyd’s death.

A City Council committee on Thursday approved spending $3.6 million to sublease the building for three years and $1.2 million to renovate it.

Officers and staff have been working remotely and at the Minneapolis Convention Center since then.

The lease agreement comes as city leaders continue to debate the future of the Minneapolis Police Department.