In Photos: 5 years ago George Floyd's death prompted weeks of protests in Denver

In the days after George Floyd's death at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer on May 25, 2020, tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets across several U.S. cities to express outrage amid the coronavirus pandemic.

In Denver, demonstrators blocked intersections downtown and stopped traffic on I-25. Officers were deployed in riot gear, shot pepper ball guns and tear gas and used military-grade vehicles. The mayor instituted curfew for more than a week and the governor called in the Colorado National Guard.

Hundreds of people were cited or arrested as well as injured due to the confrontations with authorities. (Years later, Denver continues to settle lawsuits alleging police brutality.)

It all stemmed from a counterfeit bill authorities in Minneapolis say that Floyd tried to use at a neighborhood store. During the confrontation with police, one of the four officers, Derek Chauvin, held Floyd on the ground by keeping his knee pressed on Floyd's neck. Almost nine minutes went by as Floyd lost consciousness.

Bystander video posted to social media and mainstream news media prompted outrage. By Thursday, Chauvin and the officers were under arrest. Chauvin was eventually sentenced to more than 20 years in prison.

The Denver protests went on for days. At one point, then-Denver Police Chief Paul Pazen joined arm-in-arm with the marchers in an effort to cool the confrontations. Denver community leaders and organizers worked to try and prevent the violence that rocked Minneapolis.

Here's a sampling of what we saw in Denver as the protests unfolded.