Bystanders who shouted at Minneapolis police officers to stop forcefully restraining George Floyd before his death expressed gratitude for the murder conviction of former officer Derek Chauvin, whose trial concluded Tuesday.
A dozen jurors found Chauvin guilty on all three counts against him â second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter â for pinning Floyd with his knee for nearly 10 minutes. Chauvin, who was immediately handcuffed and taken into custody, faces up to 40 years behind bars when heâs sentenced in about two months.
Darnella Frazier, who had the presence of mind to take out her phone and start recording the arrest, said on her Facebook page that she cried upon hearing the verdict.
âMy heart goes out to George Floydâs family!â Frazier wrote on Instagram.
Frazier was 17 years old on May 25, 2020, the day of Floydâs death. She was one of several witnesses called by prosecutors who were minors at the time. Frazier had gone to the convenience store Cup Foods with her even younger cousin when they saw officers roughly handling a Black man they later learned was Floyd.
Her video is credited with sparking national outrage over Floydâs arrest, which led to a global outpouring of support for anti-racism and police reforms.
âAlthough no amount of charges will bring back a loved one, justice was served and his murderer will pay the price. We did it,â Frazier wrote.
Outside the courthouse on Tuesday, Floydâs girlfriend, Courteney Ross, spoke to a crowd of supporters with emotion in her voice.
âGod is good,â she said, before directing her attention to the activists who surrounded her.
âI canât thank you enough. Floyd canât thank you enough,â Ross said. âHis spirit is here with you all.â
Donald Williams stood alongside Frazier and her cousin on the curb while police restrained Floyd. He testified in court that he âwitnessed a murderâ that day.
On Wednesday morning, Williams spoke about the verdict with âGood Morning Americaâ host Michael Strahan, saying he was âexcitedâ that the Floyd family âfinally got justice.â
âA lot of weight is off my shoulders,â Williams said. During the trial, prosecutors discussed his experience as a mixed martial arts fighter, which informed Williamsâ belief that Chauvinâs method of restraint â a âblood choke,â in Williamsâ words â was potentially deadly.
âThe world is starting to make a change,â Williams said.
Williams also explained that he had not watched any of the videos of Floydâs arrest âjust for my own sakeâ until being called to testify. At one point during his time on the stand, he used a tissue to dab his eyes.
âIt was very, very emotional to relive that scene again in court,â Williams said Wednesday.
âCBS This Morningâ host Gayle King spoke with another witness, Charles McMillian, an older bystander who tried to persuade Floyd to go quietly with the officers, and tried to convince the officers to stop using force.
While watching video of the arrest during Chauvinâs trial, McMillian broke into tears on the stand, prompting Judge Peter Cahill to call a short break.
McMillian said he was âsurprisedâ by the juryâs verdicts.
âI work at a car wash, and somebody came [and said], man, you really did it,â he told King.
The other three former officers who helped Chauvin will face trial in late August.