Pacific Northwest sheriff shocks internet with scathing remark about George Floyd on anniversary of his murder

By LAUREN ACTON-TAYLOR, US NEWS REPORTER Published: 02:25, 28 May 2026 | Updated: 02:33, 28 May 2026 A Washington sheriff shocked the internet with a scathing comment on George Floyd just a day after the sixth anniversary of his murder.  Pierce County Sheriff Keith Swank jumped on social media and declared that Floyd, who was murdered by a cop in May 2020, would be doing drugs if he was still alive.  A post shared on X on May 19 saw four images of Floyd in different professions created with artificial intelligence.  The images saw Floyd as a doctor, a priest, in a suit and a construction workers uniform, with the caption: 'If George Floyd were still alive today, what do you think he'd be doing?'  Yet the sheriff, in a now-deleted response, replied: 'Drugs.' The comment sparked fierce debate, with one user dubbing the sheriff 'racist and unhinged.' 'Any cop who disrespects the victims of police violence should be immediately terminated,' the user wrote. 'And to have the top cop tweeting this, the person who sets the culture, inexcusable.' However, Swank seemed unphased and showed little remorse by responding to the user: 'You should thank me. This is probably your most viewed post.' Pierce County Sheriff Keith Swank rocked the internet after jumping on social media and declaring that Floyd, who was murdered by a police officer in May 2020, would be doing drugs if he was still alive The images saw Floyd as a doctor, a priest, in a suit and a construction workers uniform, with the caption: 'If George Floyd were still alive today, what do you think he'd be doing?' Yet the sheriff, in a now-deleted response, replied: 'Drugs' The comment sparked debate, with one user dubbing the sheriff 'racist and unhinged.' Swank showed little remorse and said: 'You should thank me. This is probably your most viewed post' Another wrote: '[Swank] is using this platform to spread hate and vile messages. The office of Sheriff is *supposed* to be non-partisan, yet all it takes is looking at Mr Swank's replies page to see how disgusting he truly is. I live in Pierce County and hate his racism permeating into my "home".' Others supported the sheriff's comments, noting Floyd's criminal history and the drugs identified in his system by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's autopsy report.  'I agree with and Support Sheriff Keith Swank! If George Floyd was still alive his punk ass would still be doing fentanyl and harming people in the community. His blood tests showed fetty! The ignorance is appalling that they protect criminals,' one user wrote.  Another said: 'It would’ve been nice if George Floyd had been a model citizen like that but his repeated criminal behavior demonstrated he indeed likely would’ve been doing drugs.'  Floyd's official cause of death was identified as cardiopulmonary arrest and 'law enforcement subdual, restraint and neck compression,' the report states.  Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer charged in Floyd's death, is currently serving a 22-year sentence after he was convicted of second-degree murder.  Swank, with over three decades of experience in law enforcement, has already been in hot water among the community in recent years after being sworn into the position in January 2025.  In January earlier this year, the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs announced that they would be considering expelling the sheriff from the organization.  What impact do you think a sheriff’s public comments should have on community trust and safety? What's your view? Floyd's official cause of death was identified as cardiopulmonary arrest and 'law enforcement subdual, restraint and neck compression' Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer charged in Floyd's death, is currently serving a 22-year sentence after he was convicted of second-degree murder Swank had spoken at the statehouse in Olympia to oppose a bill that would see stricter eligibility requirements for police chiefs, marshals and sheriffs, the News Tribune reported.  The bill was also set to remove elected sheriffs from office if the Criminal Justice Training Commission revoked their law enforcement officer certification. 'When you try to remove me from office, thousands of Pierce County residents will surround the County-City building in downtown Tacoma and will not allow that to happen,' Swank said at the meeting.  'I hope it doesn't come to that, but I and they are prepared. Are you prepared?'   Swank's comments, the organization said, may be perceived as threatening, according to the outlet.  In the same meeting, the sheriff addressed another bill that sought to ban facial coverings among law enforcement officers.  According to the outlet, he said that, while his deputies don't wear facial coverings, he would encourage them to do so if the bill passed just to witness what officials would do.  Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels, president of the WASPC, and Executive Director Steven Strachan said the organization, while concerned about the bill, believed Swank's comments were 'inflammatory.' George Floyd, seen above, was murdered in May 2025 in Minneapolis during an arrest for allegedly using a counterfeit bill Others supported the sheriff's comments, noting Floyd's criminal history and the drugs identified in his system by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's autopsy report 'The scope of his testimony went beyond reasonable dialogue and devolved into what could be perceived as threatening to legislators and he challenged their constitutional authority,' the leaders said in a statement to the Tribune.  'The manner in which he conducted himself was not in line with the professional behavior we expect of members. We know that all public servants are subject to their oaths of office and the rule of law.' Swank, however, said that he didn't perceive his comments as threatening and agreed residents, essentially, storming a government building would 'be a crisis,' the outlet reported.  One of his concerns surrounded the bill highlighting hate speech as a factor for dismissal.  'One of the things that would be disqualifying would be hate speech,' he said.  'You know, the stuff I post on X, such as trans women are men. They want to decertify me for that, and if they pass this legislation then they can decertify me and remove me from office.' Swank told members of the WASPC that requirements for being appointed as sheriff, for example, should not be more rigorous, equating the role to that of the president.  'If you look at the Constitution, in order to run for president what do you need to be? Born here and 35 years old. Why would we make any requirements more so on the sheriff than we would on the President of the United States?'  Swank, with over three decades of experience in law enforcement, has already been in hot water among the community in recent years after being sworn into the position in January 2025 In 2025, Swank was part of three separate certification cases, according to the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission.   The sheriff was under investigation following multiple complaints against Swank as well as an initial disciplinary decision from Seattle PD.  While the report did not divulge the reason for the investigation, Swank jumped on X on September 6, 2025, and said: 'Today I received a complaint from the Criminal Justice Training Commission (WSCJTC) regarding my social media posts that if true can invoke RCW 43.101.105 (decertify me). This is what the left does to shut people up. I won’t be silenced. They think they can decertify me, and then I will no longer be the sheriff. That won’t work. I’m still elected.' The disciplinary decision was believed to be connected to a closed case from the Seattle Office of Police Accountability, which found allegations of bias-based policing, breach of social media policy and unprofessionalism, Fox 13 reported.  The Daily Mail reached out to the Pierce County Sheriff's Office for comment.   No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? 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