George Floyd Mural Artist Claims Lightning May Not Have Been Cause Despite Reports, Thinks it May Have Been Related to Vandalism

Last night we reported that a mural dedicated to honoring George Floyd was destroyed. There was a storm in the area and many drew the conclusion that it was due to a lightning strike.

As we reported last night:

A Toledo, Ohio mural dedicated to George Floyd, whose death while in police custody sparked riots and protests throughout the country last year, was reduced to rubble today following a lightning strike.

WTOL 11 News reported that the piece was created by Toledo artist David Ross just about one year ago and he said the artwork stands as a memorial and reminder to never forget what happened that day in May of 2020. 

David Ross painted the mural last year. He admits that the lightning strike may have caused it, but isn’t ruling out foul play though. Ross allegedly received threats last summer.

“When I did the mural, there was stuff on the wall that I couldn’t remove and that let me know how strong that structure was,” Ross said. “The lightning thing, that’s possible, but I know it didn’t just fall.”

Fox 10 Phoenix reported:

Even so, David Ross — who painted the mural last year — told the Toledo Blade that he’s skeptical of the cause. Ross received threats last summer as he painted the mural, which makes him wonder if someone has now vandalized his work.

It’s also possible that it was just age, or a combination of age and a lightning strike.

“Toledo’s George Floyd mural at Summit and Lagrange collapsed today. A city building inspector says it was “just age. It just came away.” They had noticed it bowing recently.”

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— Kaitlin Durbin (@njKaitlinDurbin) July 13, 2021

Time will tell what happens with the mural, if it gets repainted, if the artist officially accepts lightning and/or age as the cause of the collapse, or if there is a potential hate crime investigation.