George Floyd trial: Clerk regrets taking fake $20 that led to arrest & death of black man

During the third day at the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, a store clerk on March 31 said that he regretted accepting the fake $20 bill from George Floyd that further led to his arrest and eventual death. Christopher Martin told the court on Wednesday (local time) that “If I would have just not taken the bill, this could have been avoided.” Chauvin, 45, is charged with the murder and manslaughter of 46-year-old African-American George Floyd by kneeling on his neck reportedly for 9 minutes, 29 seconds, as he lay face-down in handcuffs.

Another witness of the gruesome incident that triggered a fresh wave to the Black Lives Matter movement across the world last year, broke down in the court on the stand as he watched the dramatic police bodycam footage of Floyd pleading for his mother during his arrest on May 25, 2020. A new video was played in court on Wednesday that was a mountain of footage, both official and amateur that showed how Floyd’s alleged attempt to pay the fake $20 bill at a neighbourhood market last year led to the tragic video-documented death. 

Martin, in his testimony, reportedly said that he knew right away that the banknote was fake but took it anyway. Martin said, “I thought George didn't really know that it was a fake bill” and that, “I thought I'd be doing him a favour." The store clerk further added, “I took it anyways and I was planning to just put it on my tab," he said, meaning that the amount would be taken out of his paycheck. "I offered to pay for it."

Martin had relayed the incident to the store manager about the fake note but was asked to go outside and tell Floyd to return to the store. When martin along with his other two co-workers went outside, they saw the 46-year-old sitting with two other people but they refused to return to the store and that’s when the manager called the police. After the police arrived, Floyd was handcuffed and Chauvin held him down with his knee until the 6-foot-4 and 223 pounds Floyd passed out. 

'I Stay Up Nights Apologising'

The teenager, who shot the viral video of George Floyd’s police custody death, on March 30 offered emotional testimony in the murder trial of Derek Chauvin. Darnella Frazier, who was 17 when she captured Floyd’s May 25 death on her mobile phone, said that she regrets not being able to save his life. She told prosecutor Jerry Blackwell that when she looked at Floyd, she saw her Black relatives and friends and further added that she has stayed up some nights “apologizing and apologizing” to Floyd for not doing more and not physically interacting and not saving his life. 

Image credits: AP