Al Sharpton To Deliver Eulogy At George Floyd Memorial Service

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The Rev. Al Sharpton is slated to deliver the eulogy for George Floyd at a family memorial service this week in Minneapolis.

According to organizers, the service will be held Thursday afternoon at North Central University in downtown Minneapolis. The event is not open to the public.

Speaking will be Sharpton and Ben Crump, the attorney representing Floyd's family. Relatives of Floyd from across the country will also speak.

The service is slated to last from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Floyd died on Memorial Day in Minneapolis police custody. Cellphone video the arrest showed ex-officer Derek Chauvin pressing his knee into Floyd's neck as he pleaded for mercy, saying he couldn't breathe.

The video spread widely last week on social media, prompting protests and riots in Minneapolis and across the country.

Chauvin is facing charges of manslaughter and third-degree murder. However, the family's lawyer wants to see the charges upgraded to first-degree murder, as an independent autopsy concluded Floyd died of asphyxiation.

No charges have yet come against the three other former Minneapolis police officer involved in Floyd's death. However, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said last week that more charges are expected.

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