Christopher Martin testified Wednesday at the murder trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin.
The store cashier who rang up George Floyd’s purchase before his fatal encounter with police testified that he is wracked with guilt over the incident. “If I would have just not taken the $20 bill, this could have been avoided,” Christopher Martin said Wednesday at the murder trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin.
Martin testified that Floyd "appeared to be a little high" when he paid for cigarettes with what appeared to be a counterfeit $20 bill. “I kept examining it, and then I eventually told my manager," he said.
Video from a security camera across the street shows Martin and another store employee confront Floyd over the bill. A passenger in the car can be seen tossing the bill away. When Floyd refused to return to the store, the police were called.
Minutes later, Martin heard a commotion outside and went to investigate.
“I saw people yelling and screaming. I saw Derek with his knee on George's neck on the ground. George was motionless, limp,” Martin said.
With the testimony, the prosecution is “trying to get ahead of [Chauvin’s] defense." Chauvin has pleaded not guilty and is expected to argue that “drug use and underlying health conditions” are what led to Floyd’s death, CBS national correspondent Jamie Yuccas told Inside Edition.
Yuccas said the prosecution is setting up the argument that despite those factors, "that doesn't mean that he should die."
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