George Floyd mural in Ohio reduced to rubble. Some say lightning caused the collapse

A mural with an illustration of George Floyd on a wall of a Toledo, Ohio, business collapsed Tuesday, leaving residents to wonder what caused it.

Witnesses say a lightning bolt struck the building and that was later confirmed by Toledo Fire and Rescue officials, according to WTOL.

Lightning did strike the block around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, WTVG’s radar showed.

But the city building inspector believes there may be another factor behind the collapse.

“It was just age. It just came away,” Hugh Koogan told the Toledo Blade. “It happens to the older buildings.”

Images and video show a pile of painted bricks in front of the wall. The mural was painted in July 2020, a couple of months following Floyd’s death.

David Ross, who painted the mural last summer, believes the structure was strong and said he doesn’t think it fell on its own.

“I’m not upset because I know I’m going to do it again, whether it was natural or vandalism,” he told the Toledo Blade.

The City of Toledo said it will work with the arts commission to plan a new mural, WTVG reported.

Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, was killed while in police custody on May 25, 2020, when Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin held a knee on his neck for more than 8 minutes. Chauvin was convicted of murder and was sentenced to 22.5 years in prison last month.

Floyd’s death sparked an avalanche of protests across the nation and many works of art have been created to honor his life.