A Scottsdale City Council member who said “I can’t breathe” while wearing a face mask and addressing a crowd of protesters opposed to coronavirus rules has apologized. Councilman Guy Phillips said “I can’t breathe” twice before taking off his mask at the rally Wednesday, video shows. Those are the same words George Floyd, a Black man, said while pleading with a white police officer who was kneeling on his neck in Minneapolis before he died May 25. The officer seen kneeling on Floyd’s neck and three other officers have been fired and criminally charged. Floyd’s death and video of the incident set off protests against racial injustice and calls for police reform across the country, including in Arizona. “I can’t breathe” has been chanted and repeated often by protesters. Scottsdale Councilman Guy Phillips appeared to deliberately make the remark at an anti-mask rally.KPNX “It was a stupid and insensitive comment that I shouldn’t have made, and I had no intention of disrespecting anybody while making that comment,” Phillips, who began his second term in 2017, said in a phone interview with NBC affiliate KPNX of Phoenix.
The mother of a Lycoming County robbery suspect has been accused of being his getaway driver. Lori Ann McHenry, 52, of Muncy, is alleged to have admitted driving her son, Steven James Martin, to and from Sam’s Place Lottery & Tobacco store and providing false information to investigators. She was charged last week by state police with conspiracy to commit robbery and theft and was released on $50,000 unsecured bail. Martin, 28, is jailed without bail awaiting trial on robbery and related charges. He is accused of being the well-disguised armed robber who just before 10 p.m. on March 18 got away with $3,570 from Sam’s, which is east of Muncy. Surveillance video across the street from where Martin and McHenry live on Carpenter Street showed a Lincoln town car leave at 9:41 p.m. the day of the robbery and return at 11:14 p.m. Investigators said they had determined from other surveillance video that McHenry had lied to them on where she and her son allegedly had driven that night. Based on information provided by McHenry, police said they searched the house May 6 and found items Martin allegedly used in the robbery. They included a pellet gun, a camouflage face mask, black goggles, blue Penn State sweatshirt, black gloves, gray sweatpants and gray sneakers and a drawstring bag, police said.
