*George Floyd’s sister spoke out on the anniversary of his death on Monday (Memorial Day) to announce she forgives the former cop who murdered him.
“I’m not saying that it’s okay what he did — it’s not,” LaTonya Floyd tells PEOPLE. “But I pray that the next time he kneels down, it’s to help someone up, instead of holding them down. I hope he finds peace within himself. I pray for him. I do.”
Floyd died after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin crushed the life out of him when he knelt on his neck for roughly 9 1/2 minutes until Floyd lost consciousness and passed away.
Chauvin was ultimately convicted on state charges of murder and manslaughter as well as federal civil rights offenses for killing Floyd. In April 2021, he was sentenced to 21 years in prison.
During sentencing, Chauvin offered the Floyd family his “condolences” but did not directly apologize.
“He has never apologized,” LaTonya tells PEOPLE. “He’s not one time never ever, ever apologized to us.”
Still, LaTonya has a special place in her heart for the man who killed her brother.
“I don’t like hate, that’s not what I’m about,” she said.
“I’m gonna just tell you as well as the rest of the world that I found it in my heart. I made peace with myself to forgive him because if our higher power didn’t forgive us, we would be nothing,” she added.
“I’m not saying it’s okay, what he did. But for me to go forth and make peace with myself and my life, I have to do that,” LaTonya said.
READ MORE: Former Cop J Alexander Kueng Sentenced to 3.5 Years in Prison for George Floyd’s Murder
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