The city of Minneapolis, Minnesota, agreed on Friday to pay the family of George Floyd $27 million as part of a pre-trial settlement in a wrongful death case.
The Star Tribune reported that City Council members unanimously voted to approve the record payout. Mayor Jacob Frey’s office reportedly also said he will approve the measure.
City officials said $500,000 of the $27 million settlement will be “for the benefit of the community around 38th and Chicago,” where Floyd died last May, according to the news outlet.
On May 25, Minneapolis police officers were filmed arresting Floyd, 46, on suspicion that he used a counterfeit bill at the Cup Foods supermarket. After police pulled Floyd out of his car and handcuffed him, officer Derek Chauvin was filmed forcing his knee into Floyd’s neck for eight minutes. Floyd was heard gasping for air and saying he could not breathe before he lost consciousness and died.
While Hennepin County’s autopsy report stated that there was no evidence “to support a diagnosis of traumatic asphyxia or strangulation,” an independent autopsy determined that sustained forceful pressure on Floyd’s neck and back led to his death. Both reports mentioned drugs in Floyd’s system but concluded his death was a homicide.
All four officers were fired in light of Floyd’s death. Chauvin, who is currently on trial, is charged with third-degree murder, second-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter.
The three other ex-officers involved in Floyd’s arrest, Thomas Lane, 37, J. Alexander Kueng, 26, and Tou Thao, 34 are charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter. Their trial is expected to begin this summer.
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[Featured image: George Floyd; Facebook]
