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Updated March 31st, 2021 at 12:17 IST

George Floyd's death witness breaks down in court, says '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.

Reported by: Bhavya Sukheja
George Floyd
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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. According to USA Today, 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. 

Frazier, now 18, started sobbing when prosecutors had asked her if she recognised Chauvin in a photo that showed the fallen cop with his knee on Floyd’s neck. “This was the officer that was kneeling” on Floyd’s neck, she said. In court, she recounted the incident during emotional testimony in Hennepin County District Court, where Chauvin is on trial on second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter in Floyd’s death. 

Floyd was ‘begging for his life’ 

The 18-year-old described Floyd as “scared” and “terrified” and “begging for his life”. She said that Floyd was “suffering” and in “pain”. Frazier said that “He (Floyd) said his neck, his back, everything hurt. ‘I can’t breathe. Mom. I would get up if I could,’ something like that”. 

Frazier was part of a crowd of bystanders that gathered at the intersection of East 38th Street and Chicago Avenue where Floyd died. She was one of the five witnesses for the prosecution who took the stand on Tuesday including her cousin, a mixed martial arts fighter, another 198-year-old and a Minneapolis firefighter who witnessed Floyd’s arrest. Frazier had told Blackwell that she would not characterise the group watching Floyd’s arrest from the sidewalk as an unruly crowd. She said no one threatened the police or got violent toward the officer. 

She said that the only violence she witnessed was from Chauvin and officer Thao, who was the officer who stood between Chauvin and the crowd, warning them to stay back. Further, the 18-year-old said that she felt threatened when officers placed their hands on their chemical spray as those in the group tried to move closer to Chauvin and Floyd. 

When asked if Chauvin ever let up or get up off Floyd, Frazier said “no” and added that if anything the cop was actually “kneeling harder” and looked like he was “shoving his knee in his neck”. Frazier said that Chauvin had a “cold look. Heartless”. She also added that Chauvin even kept his knee on Floyd’s neck when paramedics arrived and took Floyd’s pulse for the first time - nearly four minutes after he stopped moving. 

(Image: AP) 

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Published March 31st, 2021 at 12:17 IST

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