Ohio mural honoring George Floyd collapses

By David Williams, CNN

Authorities in Toledo, Ohio, said they are planning to replace a mural honoring George Floyd after it collapsed.

A large section of the vibrant mural, which was painted on the side of a vacant building, was destroyed when a layer of bricks affixed to the building gave way.

“We had multiple witnesses on the scene who said they saw lighting strike the building and the wall collapse,” Lt. Paul Davis, the Toledo Police Department Public Information Officer, told CNN.

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There was a severe storm in the area, according to CNN Weather. CNN affiliate WTVG reported that its Doppler Radar detected a lightning strike on that block.

However, city building inspector Hugh Koogan told The Toledo Blade, which is also a CNN affiliate, that the collapse appeared to be the result of natural deterioration and that the city had recently noticed that the middle of the wall was bowing.

“It was just age. It just came away,” Koogan told The Blade. “It happens to the older buildings.”

A spokesperson for the city told CNN that the building was still structurally sound.

Artist David Ross painted the mural last July after George Floyd was killed in police custody, according to WTVG.

Former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin was convicted in April on charges of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for his role in Floyd’s killing. He was sentenced last month to 22 and half years in prison.

Groups have gathered at the Toledo mural to hold memorial services for Floyd, including an event marking the one-year anniversary of his death.

Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz told CNN in a statement that the mural would be replaced.

“We will work with the Arts Commission and the artist to make sure that a new mural can replace the old, so that the message at the core of this artwork can be heard,” he said.

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CNN’s Robert Shackelford contributed to this story.