A family representative of George Floyd, the African-American who died in May after a Minneapolis policeman knelt over his neck for nearly nine minutes, sued the city in federal court wednesday and four officers for culpable homicide.
Floyd’s death sparked street protests across the country against police brutality and renewed the debate on racism, months after the November 3 presidential election.
The lawsuit identifies the city of Minneapolis and four officers who participated in his arrest as defendants. Seek a payment for compensatory, special and punitive damages from the city’s officers and compensatory and special damages.
Derek Chauvin, a white police officer who knelt on Floyd while handcuffed, was arrested four days after his death. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges of second-degree murder and manslaughter.
Three other officers who were on the scene, J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao, have also been charged.
Floyd, 46, begged for his life and told the cop he couldn’t breathe.
