A witness at Derek Chauvin’s murder trial broke down in tears while watching the video of George Floyd calling out for his mama.
61-year-old Charles McMillan took the witness stand on Wednesday and said he was driving by the Cup Foods convenience store on May 25, 2020, when he saw police officers struggling with Floyd.
McMillian was heard calling out as officers wrestled with Floyd.
The witness said he “tried to make the situation easy” by telling the 46-year-old father: “You can’t win.”
In the video, Floyd could be heard telling McMillian: “I’m not trying to win. Don’t do me like that, I’m claustrophobic.”
McMillian described how Floyd started to cry out for his mom while he was pinned to the ground by cops.
“I couldn’t help but feel helpless. I don’t have a mama either, but I understand him. My mom died June 25th,” McMillian said in tears.
He told attorney Erin Eldridge that he had parked outside Cup Foods when he noticed two cops by Floyd’s blue car as he was ‘being nosy.’ He also said that he had experienced being handcuffed himself.
“I’m watching, you know, Mr Floyd,” he said. “He collapsed onto the back seat and I’m trying to get him to understand when you make a mistake, once they get you in cuffs you got to wait there.
“Once they get you in cuffs you can’t win.”
“(Floyd) kept saying: ‘I can’t breathe. Mama they’re killing me, they’re killing me.’ He started saying: ‘My body’s shutting down.’”
More of the clips were played and McMillian could be heard telling Chauvin: “Your knee on his neck, that’s wrong man.”
McMillian said in one of the videos: “I was trying to help him. He appeared to be in and out (of consciousness), with foam around his mouth. I said: ‘Man he said he can’t breathe,’ and they said: ‘Well if he keeps talking he can breathe.’”
Jurors then heard Chauvin speak for the first time as his voice was caught on officer Tou Thao’s bodycam.
When McMillian told Chauvin: “I don’t respect what you did,” the cop said: “Well that’s one person’s opinion. We got to control this guy because he’s a sizeable guy and looks like he’s probably on something.”
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