Witnesses Break Down, Express Guilt in Testimony

Racial Reckoning: The Arc of Justice

Intensity continues to build in the courtroom following yet another day of emotional testimony in the Derek Chauvin murder trial.

A 61-year-old man who witnessed the death of George Floyd - Charles McMillian - broke down on the stand when the prosecution replayed footage of the moments leading up to Floyd’s death. In the footage you can hear McMillian pleading with Floyd.

Following McMillians testimony Attorneys for the State played multiple recordings including the body camera footage of all officers involved and surveillance from inside of Cup Foods. The surveillance footage shows George Floyd in the store interacting with multiple people, even laughing with another customer at one point.

A 19-year-old cashier testified Wednesday afternoon about the moment he realized George Floyd gave him a counterfeit 20 dollar bill.

“When I saw the bill I noticed that it had a blue pigment to it, kind of how a hundred dollar bill would have and I found that kind of odd,” said the cashier. “So I assumed that it was fake.”

The cashier said he now feels guilt for the choices he made that evening.

Outside of the courtroom, the community continues to protest demanding justice for George Floyd. Protestors once again wrote names of those killed by police on locks and hung them on the fence surrounding the government center; previous locks were cut off by the National Guard.

Georgia Fort reporting for the Racial Reckoning project.