Philonise Floyd, brother of the African-American man George Floyd who was brutally murdered by the Minneapolis Police last month, testified before the House Judiciary Committee. He told the lawmakers that he believes officer Derek Chauvin, who held his knee on Floyd's neck for almost nine minutes and choked him to death, had some 'personal' vendetta or motivation behind the murder. George Floyd and Chauvin used to work as security guards at the same nightclub for years before their recent encounter, which finally resulted in the death of Floyd and sparked a worldwide protest against racism.
"They bumped heads... It has a lot to do with Derek being extremely aggressive within the club with some of the patrons, which was an issue," former co-worker David Pinney was quoted saying to CBS Evening News. Pinney also added that both Floyd and Chauvin had a history of not having a friendly relationship. On being asked how well Chauvin knew Floyd, Pinney said the former police officer knew him "pretty well."
Floyd's brother Philonise testified in the capitol about the urgent requirement for reforming the police after his un-armed brother lost his life on Memorial Day. During the procedure of the hearing, Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), Chairman of The House Judiciary Committee asked the reason behind the statement which Floyd made against Chauvin and why he thinks that way. Answering this question, Floyd said, "No, sir. I don't really know why he did it. But personally, I think it was personal because they worked at the same place. So for him to do something like that, it had to be premeditated."
The Floyd family has also remarked that Floyd's death was partly personal and their attorney has appealed for Chauvin to be charged with first-degree murder. "We believe he knew who George Floyd was," reported the media outlet.
Floyd's brother during the hearing also said, "I know that he knew him. Everybody knew him... And it has to be racist. It has to be something to do with racism."
Former officer Derek Chauvin on May 25 was caught on video kneeling over Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes. This incident triggered widespread agony and global protests against police brutality and racial discrimination in the US.
