The six-year-old daughter of George Floyd, an African American man who was allegedly murdered by a white police officer last week, has given a heartbreaking interview following her father's death.
"I miss him," Gianna Floyd told Good Morning America reporter, Eva Pilgrim, in a tear-jerking interview aired on Wednesday.
"He played with me."
Also present during the interview was Gianna's devastated mother, Roxie Washington, who praised Floyd's love for his "little girl".
"She didn't have to play with nobody else because daddy was going to play with her all day long," Washington said.
"That was his baby. He loved his little girl."
The Hennepin County Medical Examiner has officially deemed Floyd's death a homicide by asphyxiation following an autopsy, the results of which were revealed on Monday (local time).
"I wish I could've been there to help him," Washington said tearfully.
Although Gianna is still too young to comprehend how her father died, Washington says she is aware that her dad is at the centre of the widespread protests campaigning for justice.
"She said, 'I hear them. I hear them saying my daddy's name'," Washington said. "She doesn't know what happened. I told her that her dad died because he couldn't breathe."
On Tuesday, Washington's attorney Chris Stewart shared a video on social media of Gianna excitedly exclaiming that her "daddy changed the world".
The six-year-old already has ambitions to become a doctor, a profession which will allow her to "take care of people".
Washington is devastated that Floyd will not be able to see his daughter pursue her dreams.
"My heart is broke for my baby," she said. "My heart is broke."
On Monday, May 25, 46-year-old Floyd was arrested on suspicion of forgery in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Video captured by an onlooker showed Caucasian officer Derek Chauvin, 44, kneeling on Floyd's neck for roughly eight minutes, despite the man's pleas for air. Floyd was pronounced dead shortly after.
Last Friday, Chauvin - who was the subject of numerous conduct complaints throughout his career - was charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. All four officers involved in Floyd's arrest have been fired from the Minneapolis Police Department. It has since been confirmed that Chauvin's charge will be upgraded to second-degree murder - if convicted, he could face 40 years behind bars.
The department later claimed Chauvin subdued Floyd as he had been "physically resisting" officers. However, surveillance footage obtained from a nearby restaurant suggests otherwise.
Floyd's alleged murder is the latest case to be adopted by the Black Lives Matter movement in protest of deep-seated inequality and ingrained, systemic racism in the United States and its law enforcement.
The Governor of Minnesota has announced the state is launching a civil rights investigation into the Minneapolis Police Department, a move he says "is the first of many steps ahead" in restoring the community's trust.
In an interview with The AM Show on Monday, a former friend of Floyd's, Randy Pollard, described the 46-year-old father as a "great guy" and a "lively, gentle giant" who loved to have fun.
