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(CNN)Attorneys for the family of George Floyd filed a federal civil lawsuit on Wednesday against the city of Minneapolis and the police officers involved in his death, calling the killing of Black men by police "a public health crisis" in Black America.
Floyd, an unarmed and handcuffed Black man, died May 25 after former officer Derek Chauvin used his leg to pin Floyd's neck to the ground for nearly nine minutes.
Chauvin, 44, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder.
"It was not just the knee of officer Derek Chauvin on George's Floyd's neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, but it was the knee of the entire Minneapolis Police Department on the neck of George Floyd that killed him," attorney Ben Crump said.
"The City of Minneapolis has a history of policies, procedures and deliberate indifference that violates the rights of arrestees, particularly Black men, and highlights the need for officer training and discipline."
Crump called the killing of Black people by police "a public health crisis" in Black America.
"This is the tipping point for policing in America," he said.
The death, which was captured on video by bystanders, led to nationwide protests and a slew of police reform measures.
Protesters have chanted, "I can't breathe" -- Floyd's last words and a phrase embedded in the national conscience after New York police choked Eric Garner during a 2014 arrest, resulting in his death. Demonstrators also demand justice in the killings of Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky, and Ahmaud Arbery in Glynn County, Georgia.
Thao stood nearby while Lane and Kueng helped restrain Floyd.
The death also led the Minneapolis City Council to move toward abolishing the police department.
Crump and other attoneys announced the lawsuit at a press conference Wednesday.
