George Floyd
Birth date:
October 14, 1973
Death date:
May 25, 2020
Age at Death:
46
About
George Floyd was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina. He lived in Houston, Texas growing up and eventually moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota to find work. To his friends, George was known as "Big Floyd" and has a 6 year old daughter. Everyone that knew George described him as having a gentle spirit. He worked several jobs so that he could provide for his daughter and girlfriend, Courteney Ross.
In May of 2020, George was stopped by a white police officer and pinned to the ground while being arrested for allegedly using a counterfeit $20 bill. The police officer kneeled on his neck while George cried out "I can't breathe", a phrase later used in thousands of marches and protests around the world after being caught on video by a witness. After 8 minutes and 46 seconds of being held down, Floyd was carried on a stretcher into an ambulance. He died in the hospital shortly after. Floyd's death was the catalyst for a summer of protests and increasing support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Was justice served?
On Monday, March 8th 2021, Floyd's May 25 death will take center stage again as the since-fired officer, Derek Chauvin, goes to trial in a Minneapolis courtroom on charges of second-degree murder and manslaughter. Three other now-former officers on the scene -- Thomas Lane, Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng -- will be tried later this summer on charges of aiding and abetting second-degree murder and manslaughter. All have pleaded not guilty.