George Floyd's family files civil lawsuit against officers, city of Minneapolis

George Floyd's family has filed a civil lawsuit following his death in police custody.

Attorneys representing Floyd's family on Wednesday announced they have filed a federal lawsuit against the city of Minneapolis and the four police officers involved in his death, CNN reports. Floyd, a Black man, was killed in police custody in May after a police officer, Derek Chauvin, kneeled on his neck for almost nine minutes while he said that he couldn't breathe.

"It was not just the knee of officer Derek Chauvin on George Floyd's neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds, but it was the knee of the entire Minneapolis Police Department on the neck of George Floyd that killed him," attorney Ben Crump said in a press conference.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Crump in a statement also said that Minneapolis "has a history of policies, procedures and deliberate indifference that violates the rights of arrestees, particularly Black men, and highlights the need for officer training and discipline."

The lawsuit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court in Minnesota, is seeking damages and "for a receiver to be appointed to ensure that the city properly trains and supervises its police officers in the future," The Associated Press writes.

Chauvin was charged with second-degree murder, and the three other officers involved in his death were charged as well. Floyd's killing sparked outrage across the country and a wave of protests against policy brutality.