Former NBA player Stephen Jackson called for the police officer who pinned down George Floyd before his death to receive the death penalty.
Jackson, who revealed that he knew Floyd for more than two decades, said on Thursday that the officer, Derek Chauvin, should face capital punishment to send a message to other officers throughout the country that police brutality will not be tolerated.
Before he was pronounced dead at a hospital, Floyd was handcuffed and arrested on suspicion of a forgery crime. In the process of apprehending him, Chauvin pinned him down by placing a knee on the back of his neck for several minutes until he was unresponsive.
“I think we need a death conviction for the main cop that had his hand casually in his pocket and killed my brother,” the former NBA player told CNN. “He needs to be the death penalty. He needs to have the death penalty. The only way these cops will stop senseless killing people, especially killing black men, is if they see one of their own get fried in a chair just like the whole world had to see my brother get killed senselessly on the street. That’s the only way.”
He also detailed his relationship with Floyd and explained his goal for his upcoming trip to Minnesota.
“Yeah, I’ve heard George in the last couple days more than I’ve heard in my whole life, and we had a 20-plus-year relationship. His name was always Floyd, a twin. Nine out of 10 times, we called each other ‘twin.’ He was just a great dude, man, somebody that supported me genuinely,” Jackson said, adding, “I can’t let them demean his name because every time something like this happens with police, the first thing they try to do is dig up dirt on you and make it seem like you deserved what happened to you. … I want justice for his kids.”
The FBI, Department of Justice, and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension are investigating Floyd’s death. The four officers who were involved have been fired.
