Derek Chauvin Trial: Early Witness to George Floyd’s Arrest Sobs on Stand

George Floyd could be heard pleading for his life and saying “I can’t breathe” in four police body-camera videos prosecutors played for jurors Wednesday afternoon in the murder trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin.

Prosecutors played videos from the body-cams of former officers Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao, as well as part of Chauvin’s video. The videos revealed that Chauvin defended his tactics after an ambulance left the scene, remarking to a bystander that Floyd was “a sizable guy” and “probably on something.”

Earlier, a witness who glimpsed the first moments of Floyd’s arrest broke down sobbing on the witness stand. Charles McMillian, 61, took off his glasses and wiped the tears from his eyes, saying “oh my god” after seeing the video of Floyd calling for his mother and saying “I can’t breathe.” The court then took a brief break before McMillian returned to the stand.

Over the last three days, jurors have heard from 12 witnesses to Floyd’s death, and several have cried on the stand describing their attempts to intervene on his behalf. Witnesses have included, among others, a firefighter, 911 dispatcher, a cashier working across the street, a mixed martial arts fighter, the teenager who recorded the now-viral video of Floyd’s death and her 9-year-old cousin.

Floyd, a Black man, died in police custody on May 25, 2020, after Chauvin, who is white, pinned his knee against Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes. Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. The three others officers are being tried in August for aiding and abetting Chauvin.