George Floyd's 6-Year-Old Daughter Wishes Him 'Happy Father's Day in Heaven' Weeks After His Death
George Floyd's 6-year-old daughter Gianna shared a heartbreaking Father's Day message to him on [...]
George Floyd's 6-year-old daughter Gianna shared a heartbreaking Father's Day message to him on Sunday, alongside a photo of the two together. Gianna's father died almost a month ago in Minneapolis police custody when a former officer kept his knee on Floyd's neck for almost nine minutes. His death sparked protests against police brutality and racial inequality around the world and was remembered as "strong and good and good to me" by Gianna in a recent interview.
The Father's Day post included a framed photo of Floyd carrying Gianna, with a pink unicorn stuffed animal sitting next to it. "Happy Fathers Day in Heaven Daddy... look I took a picture of us with Rainbow on my first photo lesson.. I hope you love it," the caption read. She also shared a message to NBA player Stephen Jackson, who was close friends with Floyd. "Thank you for all that you are doing for my daddy Love you very much," Gianna wrote to her "uncle." Both posts included the hashtag "Justice for George Floyd."
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Gianna also shared a recent interview she did on Instagram Saturday. In it, she shared some of her favorite memories of her dad. "When I was a little baby, dad would do everything for me. Like change my diaper and feed me all of the time and put me to bed," she said, reports PEOPLE. "When it was time for my birthday to happen when I was a baby and it was time for my birthday, he would take me to Chuck E. Cheese and he would let me play all the games." Gianna said her father was "strong and good and good to me" and "was fun... and he's always going to be fun."
The 46-year-old Floyd died on May 25, when Derek Chauvin kept his knee on Floyd's neck for more than eight minutes, even after Floyd lost consciousness. Chauvin was fired and charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter. Three other officers, Thomas Lane, Thou Thao, and J. Alexander Kueng, were fired and charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter. Lane and Kueng have been released on bail while waiting for their trial to begin.
Gianna's mother is Roxie Washington. In her first public comments after Floyd's death, Washington noted that Floyd will miss the most important moments of Gianna's life. "He'll never see her grow up, graduate. He will never walk her down the aisle," she said on June 2. "If there's a problem she's had and needs her dad, she does not have that anymore."