Floyd family filing civil lawsuit against Minneapolis police officers charged with his death, lawyers say

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The family of George Floyd has filed a civil rights lawsuit against the city of Minneapolis and the four police officers charged with his death.

The announcement was made during a Wednesday press conference by civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump and other lawyers representing Floyd's family members.

"This complaint shows what we have said all along, that Mr. Floyd died because the weight of the entire Minneapolis Police Department was on his neck," Crump said in a statement. "The City of 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."

Crump said the lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Minnesota, seeks to set a precedent "that makes it financially prohibitive for police to wrongfully kill marginalized people — especially Black people — in the future."

Floyd, a Black man who was handcuffed, died May 25 after Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, pressed his knee against Floyd's neck for nearly eight minutes. Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter. Three other officers at the scene are charged with aiding and abetting both second-degree murder and manslaughter.

FILE: This combination of photos provided by the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office in Minnesota on Wednesday, June 3, 2020, shows Derek Chauvin, from left, J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao. (Hennepin County Sheriff's Office via AP)

Floyd's death sparked global protests against racial injustice, as “Defund the Police” became a rallying cry at demonstrations throughout the U.S.

SECURITY OF MINNEAPOLIS COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO CALLED TO DEFUND POLICE TOTALED $152G

The lawsuit comes on the same day that a court allowed public viewing by appointment of video from the body cameras of officers Thomas Lane and J. Kueng. A coalition of news organizations and attorneys for Lane and Kueng have been advocating to make the videos public, saying they would provide a more complete picture of what happened when Floyd was taken into custody.

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The lawsuit seeks compensatory and special damages in an amount to be determined by a jury. The complaint also asks for a receiver to be appointed to ensure that the city properly trains and supervises its police officers in the future.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.