George Floyd lived in St Louis Park, a suburb of Minneapolis, and moved to the state of Minnesota from Houston, Texas, where he lived most of his life, about six years ago.
His family and close friends called him “Big Floyd” on account of his 6ft 6in frame.
He had worked as a security guard at a restaurant and live music club that was shut due to the coronavirus outbreak.
He had two daughters, aged six and 22, from a previous relationship and a granddaughter he never met before his death.
In the video, he is heard calling out for his mother, who died about a year ago.
His siblings and his fiancée, Courteney Ross, have called for the four officers involved in his arrest to be charged with murder.
Ms Ross, his fiancée, told CBS News: “He stood up for people, he was there for people when they were down, he loved people that were thrown away”.
