George Floyd appeared 'high' when he handed over fake $20 bill with twitchy hands and had 'had difficulty forming words', worker testifies as court is shown never-before seen footage moments before he died
New video of George Floyd inside a Minneapolis convenience store moments before his death was played in court today at Derek Chauvin's murder trial as a witness said that his hands were shaking, he was unable to make conversation and he appeared to be under the influence of drugs.
Cup Foods clerk Christopher Martin, who was working on May 25, 2020, took the stand on Wednesday to testify about how staff called the cops on Floyd because they believed he used a counterfeit $20 bill.
Looking back, Martin said he wished he'd never raised alarm about the bill because he believes Floyd might still be alive if he hadn't, telling the court: 'This could have been avoided.'
Surveillance video from a camera mounted behind the counter showed Martin speaking with Floyd as he used the fake bill to purchase cigarettes.
Floyd then walked outside as Martin held the bill up and examined it. Martin told the court that he became suspicious of the bill because it had an unusual 'blue pigment so I assumed it was fake'.
'The policy was if you took a counterfeit bill you had to pay for it out of your pay-check,' Martin explained.
'I took it anyways and was planning to just put it on my tab - until I second guessed myself and eventually told my manager.' The manager then instructed Martin to go outside and bring Floyd back, he said.
Questioned by Minnesota Assistant Attorney General Matthew Frank, Martin said that the two things he noticed about Floyd were his 'size' and he appeared to be 'high'.
An autopsy found Floyd had fentanyl and methamphetamine in his system at the time of his death. Chauvin's lawyers have argued that his true cause of death was a drug overdose, despite the county medical examiner ruling it a homicide resulting from the police restraint.
New video showing George Floyd (left in a black tank top) inside the Minneapolis Cup Foods store moments before his death was played in court today at the start of day three of Derek Chauvin's murder trial
Floyd is seen holding the counterfeit $20 bill he used to buy cigarettes before a clerk noticed it was fake
Cup Foods clerk Christopher Martin (pictured), who was working on May 25, 2020, took the stand on Wednesday to testify about how staff called the cops on Floyd because they believed he used a counterfeit $20 bill
Derek Chauvin (right) looked on as Martin explained that the two things he noticed about Floyd were his 'size' and he appeared to be 'high'
Across the approximately ten minutes of footage, Floyd can be seen meandering through the small store where he had dropped off his cell phone to be fixed.
He could be seen rifling through his pants pockets, counting and recounting bills, taking them out and replacing them.
At times in the video, which did not have audio, Floyd appeared to be talking to himself or randomly at other customers.
After briefly exiting the store, knocking a piece of fruit to the ground as he left, he returned and again appeared agitated, high and distracted.
At one point he hopped on the spot, shuffled backwards before putting his arms over his head and jigging once more where he stood.
Twitchy and unable to stand still he made his way to the front of the store once more to buy cigarettes with the $20 bill that store clerk Martin immediately believed to be fake.
Across the approximately ten minutes of footage, Floyd can be seen meandering through the small store where he had dropped off his cell phone to be fixed
He could be seen rifling through his pants pockets, counting and recounting bills, taking them out and replacing them
The court took a quick break before Martin came back and testified about a second video showing him speaking with Floyd and his acquaintances in a car parked outside Cup Foods.
Martin said he took two trips out to the vehicle, bringing co-workers with him the second time.
'I notified them that they needed to come back into the store and the bill was fake and my boss wanted to talk to them,' Martin said.
He recalled Floyd sitting in the driver seat 'kind of shaking his head, putting his hands on his head. Like: "Why is this happening?" kind of thing.'
Floyd repeatedly refused to come back into the store, at which point Martin said his manager instructed a co-worker to call the police.
He said officers arrived and spoke to the manager while Martin went back to manning the cash register.
Under continued questioning by Frank, Martin told how, as the store emptied, he became aware of a commotion at the front of Cup Foods. He went outside and was confronted by the already escalated situation.
'I saw people yelling and screaming I saw Derek [Chauvin] with his knee on George's neck on the ground,' he said.
'George was motionless, limp and Chauvin seemed very…he was in a resting state, meaning like he just rested his knee on his neck.'
Martin, who lived above the store, said: 'I pulled my phone out first and called my mom and told her not to come downstairs. Then I started recording.
'Later on that night I deleted it because when they picked George up off the ground the ambulance went straight down 38th and the quickest way to get to the hospital is straight down Chicago Avenue.'
Martin said he assumed from this that Floyd was already dead and deleted his recording as he didn't want to have to show it to anybody or answer questions about it in the aftermath.
Asked how he had felt as he absorbed what he had just witnessed, Martin said 'disbelief and guilt'.
Martin, who had earlier told jurors that he had almost not reported the fake bill and only done so after second-guessing himself, said: 'If I would have just not taken the bill this could have been avoided.'
Asked if he still worked at Cup Foods, Martin's voice cracked as he said: 'No. I didn't feel safe.'
A second video from outside the store showed Martin (above in gray) talking to Floyd inside a car parked at Cup Foods
Martin is seen (bottom right) standing outside the store as police restrained Chauvin on the other side of a squad car
Under cross examination by Chauvin's attorney Eric Nelson, Martin said that he recognized Floyd's male companion as a man who had come in earlier and tried to pass a fake $20 that he immediately saw was similar to the one he was later offered by Floyd.
Asked why he called out the earlier customer while he took the bill from Floyd, Martin said: 'The other person that had come in kind of seemed like he was trying to scheme…with George it seemed like he didn't know [it was fake].
'I was trying to do him a favor.'
Nelson questioned Martin further about Floyd's behavior and why he believed him to be high.
According to the teen Floyd appeared to have difficulty forming words, was doing stretches and side-lunges and was slow to respond to his casual questions.
Witness Christopher Belfrey (pictured) testified about video he recorded of two cops detaining Floyd before Chauvin and another cop arrived
Taking issue with the characterization in re-direct, Frank sought to establish that Floyd was not so high as to have any difficulty making his purchase, to which Martin replied: 'Correct.'
Asking him to describe Floyd's general demeanor that day Martin said: 'He seemed very friendly, approachable, talkative, he seemed just to be having an average Memorial day living his life. But he did seem high.'
A morning dominated by video ended with the jury being shown footage recorded by a Cup Foods customer parked across the street from Floyd's SUV shortly before lunch.
Seen for the first time the video put a new perspective on events, showing the arrival of officers Thomas Lane and J Alexander Keung, the first on the scene that day.
Witness Christopher Belfrey, 45, said that he started recording when parked directly behind the SUV as he was 'startled' to see Lane draw his handgun.
Belfrey explained that he pulled to the other side of the street, not wanting to 'get in the middle' of whatever was occurring and continued recording.
The court watched the footage in which Floyd can be seen, apparently cuffed and compliant, seated against a wall having been removed from his vehicle.
According to Belfrey, Lane and Keung then walked Floyd across to their squad car and put him in it.
He said that he had simply gone home at that point because 'I thought he was detained. I thought it was over.'
Belfrey, 45, said that he started recording his video (pictured) when parked directly behind Floyd's SUV because he was 'startled' to see Officer Thomas Lane draw his handgun
Belfrey explained that he pulled to the other side of the street, not wanting to 'get in the middle' of whatever was occurring and continued recording. The court watched the footage in which Floyd can be seen, apparently cuffed and compliant, seated against a wall having been removed from his vehicle
George Floyd's family members and their attorney Ben Crump (right) arrive at the Hennepin County Court on Wednesday
A protester stands near the heavily-fortified courthouse on Wednesday as Chauvin's murder trial resumed
As testimony began on Wednesday Chauvin looked on, smartly dressed in dark grey suit, white shirt and blue tie as he resumed taking copious notes on a yellow legal pad.
The 45-year-old is charged on three counts in connection with Floyd's death: second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
If convicted on the most serious count, Chauvin faces a possible 40 years in prison.
If found guilty of manslaughter he faces a maximum penalty of ten years though he could be free within five.
Much hangs on the outcome of this trial – not least the likely fates of Thomas Lane, 38; J Alexander Keung, 27; and Tou Thao, 35; the three officers currently awaiting trial for aiding and abetting in Floyd's death.
First on the stand on Wednesday was off-duty Minneapolis firefighter and paramedic Genevieve Hansen, 27, who resumed her witness testimony after it was cut short on Tuesday when she was admonished by Judge Peter Cahill for repeatedly interrupting and talking back to Nelson during cross examination.
Hansen, 27, had wiped away tears as she recalled how she had identified herself as a first responder and begged to help Floyd when she believed he was dying outside the Cup Foods store in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020.
But soon after her demeanor changed as she was questioned by Nelson, who asked if she would describe bystanders at the scene of Floyd's arrest as upset or angry.
Hansen replied: 'I don't know if you've seen anybody be killed, but it's upsetting.'
At this point Judge Cahill stepped in and cautioned Hansen for being argumentative, instructing her to 'just answer his questions'.
Minutes later Cahill sent the jury out for the day before turning to an increasingly combative Hansen and telling her in no uncertain terms: 'You will not argue with the court, you will not argue with counsel.'
In stark contrast to the high emotion of yesterday, questions were brief and subdued on Wednesday morning.
Asked by Nelson if she had provided ID at the scene of George Floyd's death, Hansen said no before confirming to Frank that her assessment had been that the dying man required, 'immediate medical attention.'
Genevieve Hansen, an off-duty Minneapolis firefighter and paramedic, was admonished by Judge Peter Cahill while testifying at Derek Chauvin's murder trial on Tuesday after she repeatedly interrupted and talked back to the defense attorney
Bystander video showed Hansen (left and right) pleading with the officers to allow her to help Floyd. Her calls fell on deaf ears as Chauvin remained unmoved and Officer Thao told her to remain on the curb, at one point saying: 'If you really are a Minneapolis firefighter you would know better than to get involved'
As testimony began on Tuesday Chauvin (right) looked on, smartly dressed in dark blue suit, grey shirt and tie
Under questioning by Assistant Attorney General Matthew Frank on Tuesday, Hansen had explained how her desperate pleas to be allowed to provide Floyd with life-saving medical assistance were ignored by the officers who pinned him down and blocked by officer Thao.
'I tried calm and reasoning, I pleaded and was desperate. I was desperate to help,' Hansen said.
Her calls fell on deaf ears as Chauvin remained unmoved and Officer Thao told her to remain on the curb, at one point saying: 'If you really are a Minneapolis firefighter you would know better than to get involved.'
In court Hansen said: 'That's exactly what I should have done. There was no medical assistance on the scene and I could have given [it].'
She told the court how she had observed the three officers on top of Floyd and known in an instant it wasn't right.
'The officers were leaning over his body with what appeared to be the majority of their weight on him,' she said. 'He wasn't moving, he was cuffed and three grown men putting all their weight on somebody – that's too much.
'Chauvin seemed very comfortable with the majority of his weight balanced on top of Mr Floyd's neck. In my memory he had his hand in his pocket. He wasn't distributing the weight on the car, on the pavement.'
!['There's a man being killed,' Hansen said, 'and had I had access I would have [helped]. This human was denied that right'](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2021/03/31/10/41084062-9420365-Judea_recalled_how_Chauvin_refused_to_move_even_after_paramedics-a-4_1617182415101.jpg)
Under questioning by the prosecution on Tuesday, Hansen had explained how her desperate pleas to be allowed to provide Floyd with life-saving medical assistance were ignored by the officers who pinned him down and blocked by officer Tou Thao
Hansen, who is a qualified EMT with state and national licenses, said that she had assessed that Floyd had a 'altered level of consciousness,' that concerned her greatly.
She said that his face was 'smooshed' into the pavement and said: 'I was really concerned. I thought his face looked puffy and swollen which would happen if you were putting a grown man's weight [on him].
'I noticed some fluid coming from what looked like George Floyd's body and a lot of time we see a patient release their bladder when they die - that's where my mind went. He was restrained but he wasn't moving.'
Hansen said she recognized that Floyd was unconscious because he was not responding to the 'painful stimulae' of Chauvin's knee on his neck.
'What I needed to know was whether or not he had a pulse anymore,' she said. But she said she was not permitted access to the scene and the officers ignored her offers to talk them through CPR.
She said she felt 'helpless.' 'There's a man being killed,' she said, 'and had I had access I would have [helped]. This human was denied that right.'
Before she took the stand jury saw video she had recorded on the scene and heard audio of the 911 call she placed immediately after.
Her voice trembling with shock and emotion she could be heard telling the operator: 'I literally just watched police officers not take a pulse and not to do anything to save a man and I am a first responder myself and I literally have it on video.'
In an uncomfortable cross-examination, Hansen became visibly frustrated with Nelson's line of questioning and refused to be drawn into an admission that she would be distracted from her job if a threatening crowd were gathered telling her she was 'doing it wrong'.
Time after time Nelson attempted to get an admission out of her until she said: 'I think a burning structure where there are buildings and homes and people living on either side is much more concerning than 20 people.
'I'll repeat myself, I know my job, I'm confident in doing my job and there's nothing anybody can do to disturb me.'
She also refused point blank to believe Nelson when he told her that medics had been called five minutes before she arrived on the scene, saying that a fire rig would have already arrived if that were true.
Nelson told her, 'You arrived at 8.26.29. The medics were called at 8.21 – code 3.'
She snapped back: 'I don't believe that.'
As Nelson's cross examination continued, Hansen became less and less tolerant of his questioning. When he asked if she had grown angry, she said she had been 'desperate' before admitting: 'I got quite angry after Mr Floyd was loaded into the ambulance and there was no point in trying to reason with them anymore because they had just killed somebody.'
In response to Nelson’s observations that she had called Officer Thao 'a b***h,' that she had become angry and that the crowd had grown more vocal and threatening as the incident progressed, she said: 'I don't know if you've ever seen anybody get killed. It's quite upsetting.'
That's when Judge Cahill moved to dismiss the jury before scolding Hansen and telling her to come back to finish her testimony on Wednesday.
Trial attorney Jerry Blackwell promised that the jury would hear from witnesses who had 'called the police on the police', in his opening statements Monday.
Hansen is the third witness called by the state who did just that; the first was 911 dispatcher Jena Scurry and the second Donald Williams.
On Tuesday the court heard from four witnesses who were minors at the time of Floyd's death and spoke of how they felt helpless as they watched the handcuffed black man lose consciousness and the cops pinning him down ignored their pleas.
In an uncomfortable cross-examination, Hansen became visibly frustrated with the line of questioning from defense attorney Eric Nelson (left). At one point Hansen told Nelson: 'I don't know if you've seen anybody be killed, but it's upsetting'
Genevieve Hansen is driven away from court in a City of Minneapolis Fire Department vehicle after her dressing down from the judge on Tuesday. She will return to court on Wednesday
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