Alex Kueng, one of the officers being charged for their involvement in George Floyd’s death, has been identified as having Nigerian roots, The New York Times is reporting.
Floyd died in Minneapolis in May after a police officer kneeled on his neck for eight minutes with the deceased repeatedly saying he could not breathe.
Kueng, aged 26, was reported to have been the youngest and least experienced officer among the four officers that responded to a call about a fake $20 bill being spent in a store — being on his third shift as a full-time officer.
He was raised by his mother alongside adopted African-American siblings with an absentee Nigerian father.
The officer, who faces charges of aiding and abetting, is said to now have been denounced by some family members.
Joni Kueng, his mother, told The New York Times, that her son joined the police to contribute towards a change in the police department which has been accused of racism.
“He said, ‘Don’t you think that that needs to be done from the inside?” the elder Kueng quoted her son to have said.
“That’s part of the reason why he wanted to become a police officer — and a black police officer on top of it — is to bridge that gap in the community, change the narrative between the officers and the black community.
“It’s a gut punch. Here you are, you’ve raised this child, you know who he is inside and out. We’re such a racially diverse family. To be wrapped up in a racially motivated incident like this is just unfathomable.”
His siblings have joined Black Lives Matter protests and called for the arrests of all the officers involved including their brother.
“I don’t care if it was his third day at work or not. He knows right from wrong,” Radiance, his sister, was quoted to have said in an interview.
She also said she planned to change her last name in part because she does not want to be associated with her brother’s action.
All the officers involved in the incident have been fired and they face a probable 40-year jail term.