/Hundreds expected at George Floyd funeral in North Carolina

Hundreds expected at George Floyd funeral in North Carolina

Four former Minneapolis officers are charged in connection to Floyd’s murder.

Hundreds of mourners are expected to gather in Raeford, North Carolina, on Saturday to celebrate the life of George Floyd who died shortly after a former officer Derek Chauvin was seen on video kneeling on Floyd’s neck.

The memorial services will be held at the Cape Fear Conference B Headquarters, an affiliate with The United American Free Will Baptist Denomination, Inc., starting at 11 a.m. with a public viewing until 1 p.m.

Floyd was born in Raeford.

A private service family service will be held for Floyd’s family, but will broadcast live starting at 3 p.m.

The Hoke County Sheriff’s Office has been preparing residents for the overflow of traffic expected to hit the area since Friday.

Floyd’s first of three memorial and funeral services in Minneapolis, Minnesota, drew an immense crowd on Thursday where Rev. Al Sharpton delivered the eulogy.

Minneapolis was where Floyd was seen on a bystander’s cellphone video face down on the pavement with Derek Chauvin’s knee on the back of his neck as he pleaded for air and for his mother who died two years ago.

Floyd, 46, died on May 25. Two separate autopsy reports gave conflicting causes of death, but agreed the manner was homicide.

Chauvin, Thomas Lane, Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng were all fired from the Minneapolis Police Department and charged in connection to Floyd’s murder.

Lane and Kueng, who were rookie officers, held down Floyd’s back and legs, respectively, but allegedly tried to stop Chauvin from pressing his knee. Thao stood nearby as the handcuffed Floyd died within 8 minutes and 46 seconds, according to court documents.

The next public memorial service is expected on June 8 in Houston, Texas, where Floyd had previously lived, from noon to 6 p.m. local time. The final memorial will be on June 9 at 11 a.m. where former Vice President Joe Biden is expected to be in attendance. Both of the Houston services will be held at The Fountain of Praise on Hillcroft Avenue.

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