George Floyd To Be Laid To Rest In Pearland After Private Funeral For Family In Houston
HOUSTON (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — The black man whose death has inspired a worldwide reckoning over racial injustice will be laid to rest today in a private ceremony in Houston -- George Floyd's body carried home in a horse-drawn carriage.
It was on May 25 when a white Minneapolis police officer pressed a knee on Floyd's neck for nearly 10 minutes, as the dying man cried out for his dead mother. Floyd, who was 46 when he was killed, will be buried at the Houston Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Pearland, next to his mother, Larcenia Floyd.
A public memorial service was held Monday in Houston, where he grew up. Some 6,000 endured the heat and practiced social distancing to pay their respects.
A number of mourners wore T-shirts with Floyd's picture or the words "I Can't Breathe" — one of the other things he cried out repeatedly while pinned down by the police officer — as they waited for hours for the viewing at Fountain of Praise Church. Floyd's body, dressed in a brown suit, lay in an open gold-colored casket.
Shorty after the memorial ended, Floyd's casket was placed in a hearse and escorted by police back to a funeral home.
Reverend Al Sharpton is expected to eulogize Floyd today.
Only dignitaries, close friends and family will be allowed inside the church for the funeral. In all, there will be about 500 people allowed at the church, which is 25% of the church's capacity of 2,000 -- but the service will be streamed online.