A witness in the murder trial of former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin broke down in tears on Wednesday after the prosecution played video of Chauvin restraining George Floyd while Floyd called out for his deceased mother.
Witness Charles McMillian, 61, became emotional after prosecutor Erin Eldridge played video of officers attempting to place Floyd into the back of a police vehicle. The officers then forced Floyd to the ground next to a police car, where he repeatedly shouts, “I can’t breathe” and calls out for his mother.
Floyd’s mother, Larcenia “Cissy” Floyd, passed away in 2018.
McMillian began to cry after the video clip ended, and he was unable to speak for a few moments. McMillian then dabbed his eyes and nose with a tissue, and eventually the prosecutor asked to approach the bench to give McMillian a bottle of water.
Eldridge then asked the witness how the video made him feel.
“I feel helpless. I don’t have a mama either. I understand him. My mom died June 25th,” McMillian said.
Judge Peter Cahill then allowed the court to take a 10-minute break.
McMillian said at the beginning of his testimony that he had been driving past the Cup Foods where the encounter between Floyd and Chauvin took place when he stopped because he was “nosy.”
In video of the incident, McMillian is seen speaking to Floyd attempting to calm him down.
“You can’t win,” McMillian says to Floyd, citing his own prior experience with law enforcement officials.
McMillian said he was trying to “make the situation easier.”
McMillian told the court that he had encountered Chauvin five days before the March 25 incident and recognized him as a regular officer in the community.
“At the end of the day, you go home to your family safe and let the next person go home to their family safe,” McMillian said to Chauvin.
Chauvin faces multiple charges in connection to Floyd’s death, including second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
The other officers involved with Floyd’s arrest and death also face separate charges in connection to the death.
Former officers Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane are each charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder as well as aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.