NEW FLOYD VID
George Floyd “appeared to be high” when he handed over a counterfeit $20 bill in a Minneapolis convenience store, a clerk testified Wednesday — as never-before-seen surveillance footage shows him acting peculiarly moments before his fatal confrontation with police.
The newly released video from May 25, 2020, aired Wednesday during the murder trial of ex-Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin, shows an animated and chatty Floyd inside the Cup Foods store with two companions, at one point dancing and acting boisterous.
He also seemed to be acting fidgety and on edge at times, repeatedly counting money and reaching into his pockets.
Store clerk Christopher Martin, 19, said the 46-year-old victim had trouble speaking and appeared to be under the influence.
“When you were communicating with him, what was his demeanor like?” Minnesota Assistant Attorney General Matthew Frank asked during direct examination.
“When I asked him if he played baseball, he went on to respond,” Martin answered. “But it kind of took him a little long to get to what he was trying to say. So it appeared that he was high.”
The footage, which does not have audio, then shows the moment Floyd hands over the phony bill after exchanging words with the clerk.
The clerk said he felt “disbelief and guilt” over the incident because he could have just rejected the counterfeit bill without cops being summoned and avoided Floyd’s fatal encounter.
The Cup Foods footage was shown to the jury on the third day of Chauvin’s trial on charges of second- and thirddegree murder and second-degree manslaughter in Floyd’s death.
During dramatic testimony later in the day, another witness — who had repeatedly pleaded with Floyd to comply with cops — broke down in tears while viewing the video.
Floyd could be heard on the video pleading with cops and repeatedly screaming “mama, mama, mama, mama” while Chauvin is seen pressing his knee on Floyd’s neck.
“Oh my God,” witness Charles McMillian, 61, said while being questioned by state Assistant Attorney General Erin Eldridge.
“I feel helpless,” McMillian said amid uncontrollable sobs. “I don’t have a mama either. I understand him. My ma died June 25.”
Hennepin County District Judge Peter Cahill then called for a recess for McMillian to collect himself.
Prosecutors also showed the jury bodycam footage from the four officers on the scene — Chauvin, Thomas Lane, Tou Thao and J. Alexander Keung — as they struggled with Floyd.
Chauvin’s camera, however, fell to the ground while he wrestled with Floyd and did not capture the arrest.