A man known as a gifted athlete and hip-hop artist from Houston’s Third Ward on Monday died in Minneapolis police custody — an incident that has sparked nationwide controversy and led to four police officers’ firing.
George Floyd, 46, was identified Tuesday as the man seen in a now viral video showing a white Minneapolis police officer kneeling on his neck. Police said Floyd, who is black, matched the description of a suspect in a forgery case at a grocery store, and that he resisted arrest. Floyd told the unidentified officer that he couldn’t breathe, but the officer ignored the man’s pleas.
A prayer vigil was held Tuesday night in Houston’s Emancipation Park. Floyd’s family members attended, including Roxie Washington, the mother of his 6-year-old daughter Gianna Floyd.
“I don’t even have words for it,” said Washington, 38. “It’s cruel. They took him away from my daughter. She’ll never see her father again.”
Washington said Floyd was born in North Carolina and moved to Houston’s Third Ward as a baby. He grew into a talented athlete who excelled in football and basketball in high school and college, she said.
He attended Yates High School and later received a basketball scholarship to Florida State University, Washington said. She said he didn’t finish school and eventually returned to Houston, where he began making music with the Screwed Up Click, a hip-hop group led by legendary Houston musician DJ Screw.
He left the city for Minneapolis around 2018, after he struggled to find work in Houston, she said. There, he worked as a truck driver and most recently as a bouncer.
Floyd is survived by two daughters, including one from another relationship, Washington said. She described him as a good father while they were raising Gianna together.
“He was a gentle giant,” she said, choking back tears. “People mistake him because he was so big that they thought he was always a fighting person but he was a loving person…. and he loved his daughter.”
Former NBA player Stephen Jackson, originally from Port Arthur, also spoke about Floyd’s death on social media, referring to him as his “twin.”
“U will know who Floyd was,” Jackson’s post said. “Nobodies perfect but Floyd was loved by everybody when he’s friends wasn’t. Just the facts u gotta be from HTown to know what I’m saying. Rest Easy Twin we riding for ya.”
The four responding Minneapolis police officers have since been fired. Civil Rights Attorney Benjamin Crump, who is representing Floyd’s family, released a statement about the incident Tuesday.
“We all watched the horrific death of George Floyd on video as witnesses begged the police officer to take him into the police car and get off his neck,” Crump said. “This abusive, excessive and inhumane use of force cost the life of a man who was being detained by the police for questioning about a non-violent charge.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
julian.gill@chron.com
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