More Witnesses Testify In George Floyd Trial, Saying ‘I Felt Helpless’

The firefighter on the stand reached for a tissue to wrap the tears from her eyes as she described the frustration she felt because a Minneapolis police officer would not allow her to treat an unconscious George Floyd when she arrived at 38th Street and Chicago Avenue where police were arresting him.

“Had they let me into the scene, I already had decided what his level of consciousness was so I would have requested additional help. I would have wanted someone to call 9-1-1 for the paramedics and fire to come,” Genevieve Clara Hansen said. “I would have checked his airway I would have been worried about a spinal cord injury because he had so much weight on his neck.”

In the second day of emotional testimony in the murder trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who knelt on George Floyd’s neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds last May, the country heard witnesses describe the events of that summer day as Floyd was killed in broad daylight before a crowd of eyewitnesses for allegedly passing a fake $20 bill. 

The clerk who waited on Floyd said he thought Floyd might have been high, but he was able to carry on a conversation with him, noticing Floyd’s height. He said he thought the $20 bill Floyd used to pay for cigarettes was fake, and he didn’t want the money taken out of his paycheck, causing him to question its authenticity which he still regrets. 

“If I would have just not taken the bill, this could have been avoided,” Chris Martin said, adding that he felt “disbelief and guilt” as he watched the arrest unfold.

“I felt helpless”
The eyewitness who called 9-1-1 for help wiped away tears as well as the recording of his call to the police dispatcher was replayed. Donald Williams is heard saying, “Officer 987 killed this man in front of Chicago store. He just pretty much killed this guy that wasn’t resisting arrest. He had his knee on the dude’s neck the whole time, Officer 987. The man stopped breathing…he wasn’t resisting arrest or nothing. He was already in handcuffs. They pretty much just killed this dude. I don’t know if he’s dead for sure, but he was not responsive when the ambulance came and got him.”

Williams can be heard in the background of the dispatch tape saying, “Y’all murderers, bruh.” Williams is also heard asking to speak with a supervisor. 

Williams identified Chauvin as Officer 987, the badge number Chauvin wore the day he killed Floyd.

Floyd’s brother, Philonise, said, “It was an emotional day sitting there watching my brother being tortured to death, calling for my mom, talking about his kids. It was just devastating. It was a tragedy that never should have happened … there are a lot of families that want us to have justice because they didn’t have justice.”

Defense attorneys are arguing that other factors — Floyd’s health, drug use and other factors — were responsible for Floyd’s death.

The family’s attorney, Benjamin Crump, dismissed the effort responded, saying, “That’s what they have done to so many people of color who were killed by police — assassinate their character so it will be a distraction for the excessive use of force that they did. It went to a new level — not only did they say it was a trace amount of drugs in his system or a prior health condition that nobody knew of, but today you heard them actually try to blame the bystanders.”

One of the bystanders took the stand and broke down, leading the judge to dismiss for a short recess. Charles McMillian was standing on the curb the day Floyd was killed. As McMillian watched the body cam video, he sobbed openly on the stand.

He was asked to explain what happened and responded, “I felt helpless.”

Image Credits: Courtesy: Zoe Schaefer.