'It wasn't right': witness to Floyd death tells court

MINNEAPOLIS: The teenager who took the viral video of George Floyd's death said Tuesday at the trial of the white police officer charged with killing the 46-year-old Black man that she knew at the time "it wasn't right."

Darnella Frazier, 18, was among the witnesses who gave emotional testimony on Tuesday at the high-profile trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin.

Chauvin, 45, is charged with murder and manslaughter for his role in Floyd's May 25, 2020 death, which was captured on video by Frazier and seen by millions, sparking anti-racism protests around the globe.

In the video, Chauvin, who was subsequently fired from the police department, is seen kneeling on the neck of a handcuffed Floyd for more than nine minutes.

Floyd, who was being arrested for allegedly passing a counterfeit $20 bill in a nearby store, complains he cannot breathe and eventually falls unconscious.

Other witnesses included an off-duty firefighter who said her attempts to render assistance to Floyd were rebuffed by police and a man who made an emergency 911 call after the incident to report a "murder."

"I have a Black father. I have a Black brother," Frazier tearfully told the court. "That could have been one of them.

"It's been nights I stayed up apologizing and apologizing to George Floyd for not doing more and not physically interacting and not saving his life," she said.

At the same time, "it's not what I should have done it's what he should have done," Frazier added in a reference to Chauvin, who was seated at the defence table.

Frazier described Floyd as "scared" and "terrified" and "begging for his life."

"It wasn't right. He was suffering. He was in pain," she said. "I knew it was wrong. We all knew it was wrong."