'The guy’s knee wasn’t even on his neck'
The family of George Floyd are considering suing Kanye West for comments he made claiming that Floyd died as a result of fentanyl in his system, as oppose to the actions of police officer Derek Chauvin.
In May 2020, Floyd was killed by police officer Chauvin who knelt on his neck for more than nine minutes as Floyd shouted "I can't breathe." Floyd's death sparked
global protests against racial injustice and police mistreatment of Black people.
A year later, Chauvin was found guilty of his murder and
sentenced to 22 years behind bars. In July this year, he was sentenced to
a further 21 years in jail for violating Floyd's civil rights.
But Kanye West has caused controversy after comments he made about
Floyd's death while speaking about Candace Owen’s documentary
The Greatest Lie Ever Sold: George Floyd and the Rise of BLM.
Ye told the
Drink Champs podcast: “I watched the George Floyd documentary that Candace Owens put out.
"One of the things that his two roommates said was they want a tall guy like me, and the day that he died, he said a prayer for eight minutes.
“They hit him with the fentanyl. If you look, the guy’s knee wasn’t even on his neck like that.”
https://twitter.com/Kurrco/status/1581518506923036673?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1581518506923036673%7Ctwgr%5E2c9230c1d54cead1892c0b59980d2b77b97c5cf7%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.unilad.com%2Fcelebrity%2Fgeorge-floyds-family-is-considering-suing-kanye-west-20221017
Although medical experts did find traces of fentanyl in Floyd's system, doctors confirmed that it was Minnesota police officer Derek Chauvin’s knee on his neck that killed him, as he was unable to breathe.
Following West's comments, the lawyer for Floyd's family, civil rights attorney Lee Merritt, announced that they were considering suing the rapper for what he said.
In a tweet, Merritt wrote: "While one cannot defame the dead, the family of #GeorgeFloyd is considering suit for Kanye’s false statements about the manner of his death.
“Claiming Floyd died from fentanyl not the brutality established criminally and civilly undermines & diminishes the Floyd family’s fight.”
https://twitter.com/MerrittForTexas/status/1581738514978250752?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1581738514978250752%7Ctwgr%5E2c9230c1d54cead1892c0b59980d2b77b97c5cf7%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.unilad.com%2Fcelebrity%2Fgeorge-floyds-family-is-considering-suing-kanye-west-20221017
In the same interview, the ‘Runaway’ singer then proceeded to compare Floyd to the late
Virgil Abloh.
