A memorial service was held for George Floyd in Minneapolis Thursday, ten days after a police officer killed him by using his knee to choke him for more than 8 minutes, while other officers standing by mocked his pleas for help.
All four former Minneapolis police officers involved in the fatal arrest have been charged. Derek Chauvin, who knelt on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes, faces second-degree murder charges. The three other officers are charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder.
Thursday’s memorial at North Central University is the first of several; services will also be held in North Carolina and Texas.
Rev. Al Sharpton delivered the eulogy in front of attendees which included the Floyd family, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Reps. Ilhan Omar, Sheila Jackson-Lee and Ayana Pressley, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Martin Luther King III and more.
George Floyd’s hearse arrives at North Central University for the first of several memorial services. In the upper right, Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo and Sgt. Dave O’Connor kneel as the hearse drives by.
Floyd’s memorial service was streamed on television and online.
Reverend Al Sharpton arrives at George Floyd’s memorial service. Sharpton and other mourners wore face masks given the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The NAN logo stands for the National Action Network the civil rights organization Sharpton founded in 1991.
George Floyd’s casket is prepared before the service. The image in the background is the mural drawn near the sidewalk where he was killed. NAN banners flank the artwork.
Floyd’s family stand in solidarity during the service.
Shareeduh Tate, cousin of George Floyd, is held by Brandon Floyd, nephew of George Floyd, as those gathered paused silently for eight minutes and 46 seconds — the length of time Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck.
Actress Tiffany Haddish weeps during the moment of silence. Other celebrities in attendance were T.I., Ludacris, Tyrese Gibson, Kevin Hart and Marsai Martin.
Brandon and Philonise Floyd, brothers of George Floyd embrace while listening to Shareeduh Tate speak. The Floyds wore pins emblazoned with “I Can’t Breathe” — their brother’s final words.
Pallbearers wheel out George Floyd’s golden casket following the service.
Media and on-lookers watch as George Floyd’s casket is loaded into a hearse. His body will be transported to his hometown of Raeford, North Carolina, where a private family service will be held on Saturday. A public service will be held Monday in Houston, Texas — two weeks after his death.
