A firefighter who witnessed the death of George Floyd broke down and wept in court as she recalled being blocked by police from offering emergency medical assistance.
Genevieve Hansen was among the crowd who saw Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin pin Mr Floyd, 46, to the ground by kneeling on his neck for more than nine minutes.
Mr Floyd’s death, on May 25 last year, was captured on harrowing mobile phone footage, sparking a wave of Black Lives Matter protests around the world and leading to murder charges against Chauvin.
Ms Hansen, 27, a Minneapolis firefighter and trained medical first responder, told his trial she urged police officers to let Mr Floyd go so she could administer first aid.
“I tried calm and reasoning, I pleaded and was desperate. I was desperate to help”, she said.
Ms Hansen saw a group of police pinning down a handcuffed Mr Floyd, and on footage of the incident she was seen walking over to intervene but being ordered back to the pavement by an officer.
She was told she should “know better than to get involved”, the court heard, but told jurors: “That’s exactly what I should have done. There was no medical assistance on the scene and I could have given it.”
Breaking down in tears, she added: “There was a man being killed.
“I would have been able to provide medical attention to the best of my abilities. And this human was denied that right.”
Mr Floyd was arrested after being suspected of using a counterfeit $20 note to buy cigarettes at the Cup Foods store in Minneapolis.
The court has been played a series of videos captured by bystanders, showing Chauvin with his knee on Mr Floyd’s neck for nine minutes and 29 seconds until he became limp and unresponsive.
Darnella Frazier, 18, told the court yesterday Chauvin gave her a “cold” and “heartless” stare, and “seemed as if he didn’t care what we were saying”.
Read More
She said the police officers put their hands on their Mace spray canisters in a bid to hold back people who wanted to go to Mr Floyd’s aid.
Ms Hansen, who gave evidence in full dress uniform, will continue her evidence today after being admonished by Judge Peter Cahill for arguing with Chauvin’s lawyer.
He intervened after a fiery exchange when she said: “I don’t know if you’ve seen anybody be killed, but it’s upsetting.”
Chauvin, 45, who has since been sacked from his job as a police officer, denies murder and manslaughter charges.
He will argue he acted in accordance with his police training, and suggests Mr Floyd’s pre-existing medical conditions as well as drug use contributed to his death.
The trial continues.
