Minneapolis – A trustee for the family of George
Floyd, a black man who died on May 25 after a Minneapolis
policeman knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes, sued the
city and four police officers in federal court on Wednesday,
seeking monetary damages.
The lawsuit was filed at US District Court in Minneapolis
by Ben Crump, a civil rights attorney who has represented other
families in high-profile police killings of black men, and
co-counsel Antonio Romanucci.
Crump, speaking to reporters outside the courthouse,
described it as a "wrongful death, civil rights lawsuit".
Floyd's death triggered nationwide street protests against
police brutality and renewed the American debate about racism in
the middle of the coronavirus pandemic – just months away from
the November presidential election.
The suit names as defendants the city of Minneapolis and
four officers who participated in his arrest on suspicion of
using a counterfeit $20 at a grocery store. It seeks money for
compensatory, special and punitive damages from the officers, and compensatory and special damages from the city.
Derek Chauvin, a white police officer who knelt on Floyd
while he was handcuffed, was arrested four days after his death.
He has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and
manslaughter charges.
Three other officers who were at the scene, Alexander
Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao, have been charged with aiding
and abetting in the case.
Floyd, 46, pleaded for his life, telling police he could not
breathe.
His death, on the heels of several other high-profile police
killings of African Americans, led to protests across the United
States and globally, with the Black Lives Matter group demanding
a revamping of law enforcement.
The US Congress failed last month to agree on legislation
designed to bring about changes in policing.