Photo Courtesy of People
Leneal Frazier, the uncle of Darnella Frazier, the young woman responsible for recording George Floyd’s death, died after being injured in a police chase he wasn’t involved in. His family members have now retained civil rights lawyer Ben Crump to obtain justice for their loss.
According to a statement obtained by NewsOne, Crump stated that Darnella “has now twice been directly impacted by lethal practices of the Minneapolis Police Department.”
Darnella was also the person to identify her uncle as the individual inside a car hit by a police cruiser after chasing an alleged carjacking and robbery suspect.
“I honestly can’t believe I’m making this post right now… I’m so hurt…nothing feels real,” Darnella Frazier
wrote in a Facebook post and added, “Another black man lost his life in the hands of the police!”Frazier was taken to a local hospital after the incident, where he was pronounced dead.
Darnella wrote in her Facebook post, “Minneapolis police has cost my whole family a big loss.”
She then posed a question to the police department and said, “aWHY ARE YOU DOING A HIGH-SPEED CHASE ON A RESIDENTIAL RODE [sic]???”
Crump said the MPD was “irresponsible” for Leneal’s death, according to Minnesota CBS Local.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Leneal Frazier, including Miss Darnella Frazier, who has now twice been directly impacted by lethal practices of the Minneapolis Police Department,” said Crump
“Police pursuits should be rare, and law enforcement should take the greatest of precautions to protect all involved, especially innocent drivers and bystanders. The Frazier family and the Minneapolis community are mourning the loss of yet another Black life because of the irresponsible actions and failings of the Minneapolis Police Department,” he added.
The attorney called for police to take “accountability” for Leneal’s death.
“We expect a timely and transparent investigation by the Minneapolis State Patrol,” Crump said. “The Frazier family deserves answers and accountability as they try to make sense of this terrible and preventable tragedy.”
Meanwhile, loved ones joined Leneal’s family at the accident site on Wednesday to commemorate his life.
Leneal’s sister told said his family was trying to keep their spirits up.
“We’re gonna get through this,” Cheryl Frazier said.
The officer responsible for the accident was identified on Wednesday as Brian Cummings, and he’s been placed on paid administrative leave.
Related Story: Darnella Frazier Receives Pulitzer Prize For George Floyd Video
A GoFundMe fundraising account has been created in effort to help Leneal’s sister, Cheryl, pay for his funeral.
“Leneal was a family-oriented person with a good heart, the biggest heart a person could ever have,” the GoFundMe says.” He would help anyone, anytime, no matter the circumstances. He was the father of 6 children and 1 grandchild. He was the oldest of 5 siblings, so of course, he was their protector. He loved his family and friends. He loves to cook and bbq, and to just spend as much time with his family as possible. He was one of the sweetest people you will ever meet.”
The family has currently raised $24,000 of its $100,000 goal.