(Reuters) - A Texas sheriff fired on Thursday seven officers who had been put on administrative leave after the custody death of a Black man, Marvin D. Scott III, the New York Times newspaper said.
The firings come during the trial of former Minneapolis policeman Derek Chauvin for the murder of a 46-year-old black man, George Floyd, by kneeling on his neck during an arrest last May, an incident that triggered protests worldwide.
Scott, 26, arrested after a March 14 disturbance at an outlet mall, was acting in an erratic manner and police were concerned for his safety because of the possible ingestion of drugs, they said at the time.
He died later that night after having been restrained and pepper-sprayed following his handover to the county jail, the paper said, adding that a spit hood had been placed over his head.
"Evidence I have seen confirms that these detention officers violated well-established sheriff’s office policies and procedures," it quoted Jim Skinner, the sheriff of Collin county, as saying.
He added that an eighth officer had resigned, the paper said.
A representative of the Collin county sheriff's office did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment.
The newspaper said Allen city police had arrested Scott on a marijuana possession charge and that he had less than two ounces of the drug, which is a misdemeanor.
Floyd's death set off protests across the United States, and around the world, targeting racial injustice and police brutality to Black people.