George Floyd (born October 14, 1973 died May 25, 2020) was a rapper and convicted felon from the Third Ward, Houston, Texas. He was a part of DJ Screw's Screwed Up Click and has appeared on numerous mixtapes.^[1] Floyd had a criminal history of violence and had spent time in prison.^[39]

On May 25, 2020, Floyd died during an encounter with Minneapolis Police Department officer, Derek Chauvin, sparking national outrage. His death led directly to the Minneapolis riots of May 2020.

Floyd was born in North Carolina but moved with his family to Houston's Third Ward when he was a baby.^[2]

He has a sister named Bridgett and a daughter, Gianna, with a woman named Roxie Washington who described him as a good father.

He has another daughter as well, but her name and mother have been kept private.^[2]

He was also close friends with former NBA star Stephen Jackson and grew up with him in Houston. They were so close that they call each other "twin." Following his death, Jackson posted photos and videos accompanied by tearful messages to his Instagram, vowing to seek justice for Floyd.

Floyd attended Yates High School in Texas. He played football and basketball. He was the starting tight-end on his high school's football team and made it to the state's Championship.

He was an outstanding athlete and received a basketball scholarship to Florida State University, but terminated his studies early and returned to Houston.^[2]

In the '90s ,when he returned from university, Floyd began making music with the Screwed Up Click, a hip-hop group led by legendary Houston musician DJ Screw.^[2] He used to go by the stage name Big Floyd.

He left Houston for Minneapolis after struggling to find work. He worked as a truck driver and bouncer at El Nuevo Rodeo in Minneapolis to support his family.

Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis Police Department officer while three others watched on May 25, 2020. A prayer vigil was held the night of May 26, 2020, in Houston’s Emancipation Park with Floyd’s family in attendance.

A video of the event that went viral showed Officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on Floyd's neck as he pleaded for help, repeatedly saying he could not breathe before eventually losing consciousness.

Bystanders begged the officer to remove his knee, before and after Floyd goes silent.

The officer did not move for at least eight minutes, at which point paramedics carried Floyd away.

The officers claimed that Floyd was resisting arrest, but a video that aired on CBS News LA showed the beginning of his arrest where he complied. Another video shows the other three officers on the scene pinning Floyd down.

The four officers that were identified were Derek Chauvin, Tou Thao, Thomas Lane, and J. Alexander Keung.

Medics said they checked Floyd's pulse in the ambulance numerous times, finding none.

Mayor Jacob Frey tweeted on May 26, 2020, that the four officers involved have been fired.

George Floyd and fired police officer Derek Chauvin knew each other before the fatal encounter, a city official and a bar owner said.

Minneapolis City Council Vice President Andrea Jenkins told CNN and MSNBC that Floyd and Chauvin were long time co-workers who worked security at the same bar, El Nuevo Rodeo.

Speaking with KSTP-TV, former bar owner Maya Santamaria said Chauvin worked off-duty security outside for 17 years while Floyd worked inside the bar.

Santamaria said she sold the club a few months ago.^[41]

Chauvin was convicted in 2021 on state charges of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in Floyd’s 2020 death.

He was sentenced to 22 1/2 years, a sentence higher than the presumptive 12 ½ years after the judge agreed with prosecutors that there were aggravating factors in Floyd’s death.^[40]