Multiple gunshots were heard in Minneapolis, U.S. this afternoon as people marked the one-year anniversary of the death of George Floyd. 

Philip Crowther was reporting live for CGTN and was forced to take cover as a series of loud bangs echoed across the street where Floyd was killed by former police officer Derek Chauvin in 2020.

Crowther described the sounds to the viewers. "These seem to be gunshots," he said as people fled for cover at the intersection that has been renamed George Floyd Square.

Other bystanders could be heard shouting at people to "get down" as the gunshot sounds continued.

Shortly after on his Twitter page, Crowther wrote: "We heard a few dozen sounds of what appear to have been shots fired on this block. Everyone sheltered in place. Lots of running. No apparent need for medics. Will update."

He then continued in a second Tweet: "From our vantage point, we see one broken window, apparently from one of the shots fired. Consensus among reporters here at George Floyd Square was that we heard anywhere between a dozen and two dozen shots fired."

Rewatching the footage, Crowther counted 30 gunshots. One hour later, he wrote again on Twitter: "George Floyd Square very quiet again now. But a fellow reporter just had her phone smashed because she took photos of a storefront hit by a bullet."

Crowther had been reporting on the various ceremonies that have taken place across the city of Minneapolis to mark the moment Floyd lost his life. 

Chauvin was found guilty of second degree murder in April after he knelt on Floyd's neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds and suffocated him while attempting to arrest the 46-year-old for being in possession of a counterfeit $20 note. Chauvin's sentencing is due to take place on June 16.

Floyd's murder was filmed and broadcast around the world and sparked an anti-racism drive across the U.S. and beyond. His plea "I can't breathe," while he was dying, turned into a rallying cry against the abuse of the police and racism. 

The country was marking the event on Tuesday with a series of commemorations and a visit by the Floyd family to the White House.

The intersection where George Floyd was murdered has never reopened to traffic. It has been transformed into a place of memory, with murals and various projects. 

The Floyd family has pledged to devote half a million dollars to local associations, out of the $27 million in damages and interest that the town hall has committed to pay them.