The family of an Ojibwe man in Minnesota says the officer who was fired and then charged with the death of George Floyd is the same man who killed their relative more than a dozen years ago.
Wayne Reyes was a member of the Leech Lake Ojibwe Band in Minnesota.
In October 2006, he was shot and killed by six Minneapolis police officers who were answering a call about a stabbing outside a pharmacy.
After a car chase, Reyes allegedly got out of his vehicle with a shotgun.
According to the autopsy report, Reyes was shot 23 times.
According to media reports, Chauvin was one of the officers who responded to the call.
Chauvin has now been charged with 3rd degree murder in Floyd’s death.
“I don’t watch TV, but right away my phone was blowing up and every one was sending me articles and it was George Floyd and in the article it mentioned my fathers name,” said Wayne Reyes, one of Wayne Reyes’ children.
Daniel Reyes is Wayne’s brother.
He says watching the coverage of the events in Minnesota is hard to watch.
“I worked in civil rights and yes, they assassinated my brother so finally after 14 years there might be a little justice,” he said.
The six officers involved in the killing of Wayne Reyes were cleared of any wrong doing.
In a video that has been seen around the world, Chauvin can be seen kneeling on Floyd’s neck.
Floyd, an African American, can be heard saying “I can’t breathe.”
Riots have consumed parts of Minneapolis following Floyd’s death.
While Chauvin and three officers who were on the scene when Floyd was killed were fired immediately, they weren’t initially charged in his death.
