The public viewing for George Floyd on Monday in Houston drew more than 6,300 mourners, according to multiple reports.
Visitors waited in the heat to view Floyd’s casket for an average of 30 minutes, according to ABC News.
Four people were transported to a nearby hospital over heat exhaustion, Dallas Jones, a deacon at the Fountain of Praise church where the viewing took place, confirmed.
Mourners at the viewing had to wear masks and gloves and comply with other health guidelines amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) attended the Monday viewing in Houston, where Floyd was raised. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) were also in attendance.
Abbott said that he spent time with the Floyd family on Monday, calling them “wonderful, God-loving people.”
“They will be the centerpiece of helping America bridge our racial divide & ensure equality, justice & fairness for everyone in America—& ensure what happened in Minn. never happens in TX,” Abbott said in a tweet.
Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee and former Vice President Joe Biden (D) also met with members of Floyd’s family Monday for over an hour, according to Benjamin Crump, an attorney for the Floyd family.
“Listening to one another is what will begin to heal America. That’s just what VP @JoeBiden did with the family of #GeorgeFloyd – for more than an hour. He listened, heard their pain, and shared in their woe. That compassion meant the world to this grieving family,” Crump tweeted, sharing a photo of Biden, with Rev. Al Sharpton, Floyd’s uncle Roger Floyd, Louisiana Rep. Cedric Richmond (D) and himself.
Floyd died last month after a former Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for over eight minutes during an arrest. His death has sparked protests across the country calling for widespread police reforms.
A funeral service for Floyd will be held at the Houston church on Tuesday, and Floyd will be buried next to his mother in a nearby suburb of Pearland, ABC News reported.