Mourners visit George Floyd's casket in Houston to pay respects

(CNN) A continuous flow of mourners arrived at The Fountain of Praise church in Houston on Monday to pay their respects to George Floyd, whose death in Minneapolis police custody has sparked protests around the United States and across the world.

Floyd, 46, grew up in the city's Third Ward and will be buried in Houston next to his mother, according to the Fort Bend Memorial Planning Center.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Mayor Sylvester Turner were among those who visited Floyd's casket at the church. Close to 10,000 people were expected to attend the visitation, which was open from noon to 6 p.m. local time Monday, said La'Torria Lemon, spokeswoman for the funeral home.

To comply with social distancing rules, only 15 masked guests were allowed inside the church at a time. Guests were allowed to stay inside no more than 10 minutes after viewing the body. Guests must wear a mask and gloves, and casual attire was permitted.


Texas Gov. Greg Abbott passes by the casket of George Floyd during a public visitation at the Fountain of Praise church, Monday, June 8, 2020, in Houston.

Floyd graduated from Jack Yates High School in 1992, where he helped the football team win the state title. He also played basketball there, Lemon said.

Before moving to Minneapolis, Floyd was well known in the Houston music scene, rapping with a group called Screwed Up Clik (SUC).

Floyd died last month after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes during an arrest.

Chauvin has been fired and charged with second-degree murder.

Three other officers on scene were charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.

Protesters have been marching for nearly two weeks and crowds have only gotten bigger.

Saturday, hundreds of people lined up for a public viewing of Floyd's casket in Raeford, North Carolina, about 20 miles from where he was born.

Meanwhile, demonstrations against systemic racism and police violence continued over the weekend, with large crowds in Washington, Philadelphia and other cities and towns.

Floyd's body is already in Houston, according to Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo.

"#GeorgeFloyd and his family are safely in Houston," he tweeted Sunday.

It was "a big deal for our city to bring him back home," Acevedo said. "He's well known, he's known by a lot of our officers.

We want to make sure that the family is safe, that the movement is safe. We want to make sure that the family knows that we're here for them and we support them at this time."

Politicians and entertainers are expected

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden plans to travel to Houston on Monday to meet privately with Floyd's family and offer his condolences, according to a Biden aide.

The former vice president will tape a video message for Floyd's private funeral service Tuesday, the aide said. But Biden is not planning to attend Tuesday's service. His team does not want to cause any disruptions from Biden's Secret Service protection, according to people familiar with those deliberations.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and actor Jamie Foxx are among those expected Tuesday, Lemon said, adding that an outline of the service will be available Monday evening.

Tuesday's funeral will be available via streaming on The Fountain of Praise Church website, Lemon said."