As we come to the 9th day of evidence in the trial of Derek Chauvin, it is easy to get lost in the hours of coverage shown on Sky’s dedicated Channel 524.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with the case, George Floyd an African American man had been detained by officers following the use of a suspected counterfeit $20 note. As George was escorted to the officer’s car, he grew irritable and a tussle between the apprehended and the officers followed, which was all caught on the officer’s body cams.
As George Floyd was brought to the ground face down, hands cuffed behind his back, Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds. This was a key revelation at the outset of the case as the general consensus pre-trial was that Derek Chauvin had knelt on Gerges Mr Floyd’s neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds.
Former Police Officer Derek Chauvin has pleaded not guilty to the following charges:
· Second-degree murder
· Third-degree murder
· Manslaughter
From video evidence to emotional witness testimonies, here are the 10 Key Moments from what will be one of the most defining cases in America and possibly the world’s history.
1: Jena Scurry – Emergency dispatcher
Jena explained to the court as she viewed the incident live through CCTV, she became so concerned with the actions of the officers that she contacted the Sergeant that was on duty at the time.
The dispatcher also added to her powerful statement that she believed the feed she was viewing of the incident had ‘frozen’, as the officers were recorded kneeling on George Floyd for such a significant period of time.
2. Donald Williams – MMA expert
Mr Williams who is a wrestler and mixed martial artist, was one of the witnesses to the death of George Floyd.
Donald had actually approached the officers for the actions he had witnessed and following a confrontation with the police he decided to ‘call the police on the police’, as he believed he had just witnessed the murder of Floyd to the hands of Chauvin.
3. Darnella Frazier – Videoed the death of George Floyd
17-year-old Darnella was the child behind the viral video that was viewed by millions around the globe.
Darnella spoke about the impact of the incident, leading to sleepless nights and apologised for not doing more to save George Floyds life.
4. Christopher Martin – Cashier at Cup Foods
Again. The court heard an emotional testimony from a young person involved in this case.
Christopher was the cashier who had reported the use of a potential counterfeit $20 bill produced by Floyd to purchase cigarettes just before his death.
The impact of the incident was expressed by Christopher, as he stated that he felt guilty for what happened next.
5. Genevieve Hansen – Key Expert Witness
One of the most significant aspects of this case is the two key witnesses, who are also expert witnesses.
Genevieve, who was an off-duty firefighter at the time of Floyd’s death became emotional and spoke out in court, leading to warnings from the Judge, as she noted that she had tried to check Floyd’s condition but was moved back by officers. She also stated that following this she had contacted 911 to report what she had just witnessed.
6. Charles McMillan – Key Witness
Charles was one of the first witnesses at the scene and can be seen in CCTV and police videos asking Floyd to comply while pleading with officers to show him compassion.
Following the death of George Floyd, Charles approached Chauvin and stated that he did not respect what he had done. Chauvin’s reply in a cold manner was “That is one person’s opinion” and that he was a “Big Guy”.
7. Courtney Ross – George Floyd’s girlfriend
Courtney spoke about the area in which the defence wishes to peruse George Floyd’s use of drugs.
She spoke about their relationship and how this was impacted by drug use. She also noted that George had suffered a drug overdose 2 months previous and had began using drugs again 2 weeks before his death.
8. Derek Smith & Seth Bravinder– Paramedics who arrived at the scene
Derek Smith noted that when he arrived at the scene, he actually checked George Floyd’s pulse while Chauvin was still kneeling on this neck and concluded that he was dead.
9. Chauvin’s call to his supervisor
Recorded on Chauvin’s body cam was a call to his supervisor.
In this call he failed to state that he had knelt on his neck at all and that George Floyd was ‘going crazy.’
10. Richard Zimmerman – Minneapolis Police Department’s longest-serving officer
After arriving at the scene following George Floyd’s death and reviewing the officer’s cameras, Mr Zimmerman stated that the restraint used was “totally unnecessary” and that “if your knee is on someone’s neck – that could kill them”.
The significance of this case is far-reaching, with many stating that it is black humanity on trial. The trial is expected to last over a month, with many more evidence to be provided.
Photo Credit: The Independent