George Floyd’s relatives say he was ‘everyone’s favorite everything’ as they call for police officers fired over his death to face murder charges
by Kelly McLaughlin
- George Floyd, 46, died on Monday after a Minneapolis police officer subdued him and put his knee on Floyd’s neck to restrain him.
- Floyd’s relatives have said they want the four police officers who were fired over Floyd’s death to face murder charges.
- “They could have Tased him; they could have maced him. Instead, they put their knee in his neck and just sat on him and then carried on,” Floyd’s brother, Philonise Floyd, told CNN.
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Relatives of George Floyd call him “everyone’s favorite everything.”
The 46-year-old black man died on Monday after a Minneapolis police officer was seen on video subduing Floyd with a knee on his neck for eight minutes.
Four police officers were fired after video emerged of Floyd’s death, in which he can be heard repeatedly saying “I can’t breathe.”
“He was everyone’s favorite everything,” Floyd’s cousin Tera Brown told KHOU, saying Floyd was like a cousin, father, and best friend to her. “It’s unbelievable, unbelievable to see someone suffer in the way that he did.”
Another cousin, Shareeduh Tate, later told The New York Times that her family hopes the officers involved in Floyd’s death face murder charges.
“I would like to see the officers charged with murder and convicted,” Tate told The Times. “I would not be happy with anything less. In my mind, they executed him.”
Philonise Floyd, Floyd’s brother, told CNN that the police treated his brother “worse than they treat animals.”
“Knowing my brother is to love my brother,” Philonise Floyd told CNN. “They could have Tased him; they could have maced him. Instead, they put their knee in his neck and just sat on him and then carried on.”
Ben Crump, a civil rights attorney representing Floyd’s family, is also calling for murder charges to be filed against the police officers involved.
“The plan is to make sure these officers are charged with the murder of George Floyd,” Crump told The Times. “When you really think about it, it was nine minutes that he begged for his life while this officer had his knee in his throat, had his knee in his neck.”
No police officer has been charged in Floyd’s death yet, and on Tuesday night mass protests broke out in Minneapolis demanding justice for Floyd.
The FBI and state authorities are investigating Floyd’s death.
- Read more:
- ‘I can’t breathe’: 4 Minneapolis police officers were fired following their involvement in a black man’s death after a cop knelt on his neck for 8 minutes
- Photos show thousands of protesters demanding justice in Minneapolis after police killed George Floyd
- LeBron James has weighed in on Instagram about the death of George Floyd, saying ‘this is why’ Colin Kaepernick took a knee
- Videos captured a chaotic scene as people protesting the death of George Floyd clashed with police who deployed tear gas