Darnella Frazier, the now 18-year-old teenager who recorded George Floyd’s arrest, was one of six witnesses who took the stand on Tuesday. Derek Chauvin, the police officer who used a chokehold on Floyd’s neck, has been charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter.
What We Know:
- Frazier told jurors she was going to Cup Foods with her nine-year-old cousin when she saw Floyd and “and a cop kneeling down on him.” She proceeded to usher her cousin into the store and began recording. She said she did not want her cousin to see a man begging for his life. When Frazier began filming, Floyd was already gasping for air and saying, “I can’t breathe.”
- Only audio of her testimony was streamed from the courtroom. Frazier said that the crowd asked the officers to let go of Floyd and repeatedly said things like “get off of him,” “you’re hurting him,” and “he can’t breathe.” She testified that the witnesses were not unruly and debunked Chauvin’s lawyer Eric Nelson’s statement that they were angry.
- Frazier mentioned that she felt threatened by Chauvin and his fellow officers that day. She said that the policemen were reaching for their chemical sprays each time one of the bystanders moved closer to Chauvin and Floyd. Frazier said Chauvin repeatedly and menacingly grabbed his mace.
“I didn’t understand why the Mace was even needed at all,” she added.
- Frazier testified that Chauvin had a cold look and didn’t care about the observers’ cries. She even claimed that as they got louder, he would press his knee onto Floyd’s neck harder.
- Prosecution lawyer Jerry Blackwell asked Frazier if watching Floyd die changed her life. According to Buzzfeed News, this question made her cry, and she had to speak slowly in response. She declared that she spent nights apologizing to Floyd for not doing enough. She wishes she would have physically interacted with the officers and saved his life. She went on to say that Chauvin was supposed to be the one who protected Floyd and not her, referencing his responsibility as a policeman.
Frazier also became emotional when she mentioned that she felt Floyd knew it was over for him. This part of her testimony was removed because she wasn’t permitted to discuss what she thought Floyd was thinking. She stated that she sees her father, cousins, and uncles when she sees George Floyd because it could have been any one of them.
