Long lines of mourners formed outside a conference center in Raeford, North Carolina, on Saturday for a memorial service for George Floyd, who died last week in Minneapolis police custody.
Floyd's body was escorted by the Hoke County Sheriff's Office ahead of a public viewing that was scheduled for 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Cape Fear Conference B, about 24 miles from Fayetteville.
Following the public viewing, a private service for family members only is to begin at 3 p.m. and will be broadcast. About 125 people are expected to attend the service, said Maj. Freddy Johnson with the sheriff's office.
Thousands of people from all over the country arrived Saturday at the conference center, NBC affiliate WRAL in Raleigh reported.
Floyd, who was black, died on May 25 after officer Derek Chauvin held his knee on his neck for more than eight minutes. In a video, Floyd begs as he is pinned on the ground: "Please, please, please. I can't breathe."
His death has sparked nationwide protests and ignited conversations on racism and police brutality.
Chauvin was fired by the Minneapolis Police Department and arrested on charges of third-degree murder and manslaughter. The murder charge was upgraded to second-degree Wednesday.
Three other officers involved also lost their jobs and were taken into custody on charges of aiding and abetting murder, according to criminal complaints filed by the state of Minnesota.
Floyd's sister, Bridgett Floyd, is a resident of Hoke County, where Raeford is, according to WRAL. She told the outlet that he was born in Fayetteville and eventually moved to Texas.
A memorial service is planned for Houston on Monday, followed by a private service the following day.
Hoke County Sheriff Hubert Peterkin issued a statement on Facebook asking for people attending the public viewing Saturday to "be respectful to the sensitivity of the family’s time of grief."
"The memorial is about the life that Mr. George Floyd lived and this is a time to embrace the family with expressions of love and kindness," he said.
The first memorial service for Floyd was held Thursday in Minneapolis. Among the attendees were Floyd's younger brother, Philonise Floyd; family attorney Benjamin Crump; Rev. Al Sharpton; actress Tiffany Haddish; comedian Kevin Hart; rappers T.I. and Ludacris; the Rev. Jesse Jackson; Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.; Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey; and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
Gwen Carr, the mother of Eric Garner, was also at the service. Her son died in 2014 during an arrest on Staten Island in New York City, as he, too, pleaded "I can't breathe."
