Mother of George Floyd's daughter demands justice for him: 'He will never see her grow up'

As family and friends of George Floyd flooded the streets of his hometown in Houston, Texas on Tuesday, the mother of his 6-year-old daughter broke down in tears during an emotional plea for justice at City Hall in Minneapolis. Addressing the public for the first time since Floyd was killed by a police officer, Roxie Washington lamented that he would never watch their daughter Gianna grow up. Wiping away tears, Washington said Floyd was a good father who did not deserve to die face down on the pavement, pinned down by three police officers.

"I don't have a lot to say, because I can't get my words together right now. But I wanted everybody to know that this is what those officers took," she said, her voice breaking as young Gianna clung to her. "At the end of the day, they get to go home and be with their families. Gianna does not have a father. He will never see her grow up, graduate, he will never walk her down the aisle. If there's a problem she's having and she needs her dad, she does not have that anymore."

According to ABC News, Washington still "had that connection" with the family while living in Minnesota. She said he'd moved there to find new work opportunities and take care of providing for his family. "He still took care of us, he provided for us. Living here, working," she said, reports TODAY. "I'm here for my baby and I'm here for George because I want justice for him. I want justice for him because he was good. No matter what anybody thinks, he was good. He loved her, he loved her so much."

Speaking to CNN, Washington revealed that when she'd first learn of Floyd's death, she didn't know how she would break the news to her daughter. However, she had the difficult conversation with her daughter soon after Gianna asked her why people on TV kept saying her dad's name. When informed of her father's death, the little girl wanted to know how he died, said Washington. "The only thing I could tell her is he couldn't breathe," she revealed. 

According to CBS News, Washington was flanked by Atlanta-based attorneys Justin Miller and Chris Stewart and close family friend Stephen Jackson, a former National Basketball Association player. "There's a lot of stuff you said that he's gonna miss — that I'm gonna be there for," said Jackson at the press conference. "I'm gonna walk her down the aisle. I'm gonna be there for her. I'm gonna be here to wipe your tears. I'm gonna be here for you and Gigi. Floyd might not be here, but I'm here for her, I'm here to get justice, and we're gonna get justice for my brother. We're not leaving, we're gonna keep fighting, we're gonna send [Floyd] home in beautiful ways this week. But I'm telling you: We are not leaving, we are gonna demand justice."

Miller said during the press conference that Washington had decided to speak out now to "show the world that George Floyd is not just a name, not just a meme and not just something to be chanted." According to PEOPLE, he added: "George Floyd was a real person. He was a good person, and he had people that loved him. And so we're here today to show the world these are the people that loved him."

Addressing the protests that have erupted across the country, Stewart told reporters that Americans want law enforcement officers to be held accountable immediately. "If they didn't do it, if they're not guilty, the system will free them. It's accountability, a cop hurts somebody, he gets arrested not just fired," said the attorney.