A mural in Toledo, Ohio dedicated to honoring the memory of George Floyd sustained an extensive amount of damage, but local officials have yet to determine what caused its destruction.

The mural of Floyd, a Black man who was murdered by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, collapsed on Tuesday evening.

When Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz addressed the destruction of the mural, he appeared unsure of its cause but was confident Floyd’s memory would continue to be honored in the city.

“We may never know for certainty why the George Floyd mural came down. It could have been an act of nature, or it could have been an act of vandalism,” Kapszukiewicz said. “What we do know is that the mural will be replaced.”

However, the Toledo Police Department told a local news outlet the mural was struck by lightning and claimed the station’s Doppler radar showed a lightning strike in the area.

Meanwhile, a city building inspector, Hugh Koogan, revealed the destruction could have resulted from the deterioration of the wall. He noted that inspectors recently discovered the middle of the wall had been bowing.

“It was just age. It just came away,” Koogan told a local outlet. “It happens to the older buildings.”

Despite the destruction of the mural, the city is in the process of finding a new location where the artwork can be displayed.

The mural was titled “Take a Breath” and created a year ago by a local artist named David Ross to honor Floyd.

Darnella Frazier, the teenager whose video of the murder of George Floyd sparked worldwide protests, was honored by the Pulitzer Prize Board
Darnella Frazier, the teenager whose video of the murder of George Floyd sparked worldwide protests, was honored by the Pulitzer Prize Board AFP / Kerem Yucel
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