The trial for former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin continues Wednesday after several witnesses delivered compelling testimony surrounding the death of George Floyd.
Witnesses said they pleaded with the police officer, who was seen kneeling on Mr Floyd’s neck for several minutes on bystander-recorded video, to stop hurting Mr Floyd. They said they watched as Mr Floyd died, often becoming emotional and wiping away tears while recounting those painful memories.
“There was a man being killed,” Genevieve Hansen, a Minneapolis firefighter and one of several bystanders seen and heard shouting at Mr Chauvin on that video, said on Tuesday. “I would have been able to provide medical attention to the best of my abilities. And this human was denied that right.”
Mr Floyd’s death sparked international protests around issues of civil rights, racial injustice and police brutality.
