George Floyd, the African American whose death sparked a global movement against racism and police violence, is to be buried in his home town of Houston on Tuesday.
The funeral in Texas is to be private but 6,000 people paid their respect at a memorial service on Monday.
Floyd, 46, died on May 25 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, after a police officer handcuffed him and pressed his knee into his neck for close to nine minutes.
Footage of the arrest, in which Floyd can be heard pleading that he can’t breathe, have sparked outrage in the US and across the world, with tens of thousands regularly flouting social distancing rules to protest.
The funeral comes just a day after Derek Chauvin, the ex-police officer charged with murdering George Floyd, made his first court appearance.
Bail of at least $1 million for ex-officer Chauvin
His bail was set at approximately €900,000 ($1 million) with conditions, and at €1.1 million ($1.25 million) without conditions if he wants to be released on parole before his trial.
The 44-year-old ex-police officer said little during an 11-minute hearing in which he appeared before Hennepin County Judge Jeannice M. Reding on closed-circuit television from the state’s maximum-security prison in Oak Park Heights.
He wore a mask and handcuffs as he sat at a table, where he answered “yes” or “no” to routine questions and confirmed the spelling of his name and address.
He did not enter a plea; a step that usually comes later in Minnesota courts.
Chauvin’s attorney, Eric Nelson, did not contest the bail and didn’t address the substance of the charges, which also include third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
Neither Nelson nor a prosecutor commented to reporters following the hearing.
Chauvin’s next appearance is set for June 29.
Three other ex-police officers, Thomas Lane, J. Kueng and Tou Thao are charged in the same case with aiding and abetting both second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
Attorneys for Lane and Kueng made it clear at separate first appearances on Thursday that a key element of their defence will be to argue that their clients were rookies who tried to intervene verbally to help Floyd, but had no choice but to defer to Chauvin, the most senior officer at the scene.
Potential sentences for them depend on a conviction of Chauvin. If he is convicted of second-degree murder, they could face the same 40-year maximum.
Thousands attend Floyd’s memorial service in Houston
The last chance for the public to say goodbye to George Floyd drew thousands of mourners on Monday to a church in Houston, where the man grew up,
“It just hurts,” Philonise Floyd, George Floyd’s brother, said outside The Fountain of Praise church.
“We will get justice. We will get it. We will not let this door close.”
People waited for hours to pay their respects as Floyd’s body lay in an open gold-coloured casket.
Some sang “Lean on Me” and Houston’s police chief bumped fists and embraced others in line.
Funeral home spokeswoman La’Torria Lemon said at least 6,000 attended the service, including Texas Governor Greg Abbott.
The funeral is expected to begin at 11.00 am local time on Tuesday.
Around the same time, several French cities, including Paris, Lille, Grenoble, Dijon, Amiens, Bourges, Poitiers and Angers are set to host new rallies and tributes to Floyd.
