Darnella Frazier, teen who filmed the video of Floyd's arrest, reacts to guilty verdict
Cory Shubert
The teenager who filmed the video of George Floyd’s death that was seen around the world reacted to former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin’s guilty verdict, writing, “THANK YOU GOD.”
Darnella Frazier, who was 17 on the night of May 25, filmed the video of Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes near 38th Street and Chicago Avenue.
On Tuesday, Chauvin was found guilty on all three of the charges he was facing: third- and second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Frazier took to Facebook Tuesday to celebrate the verdict.
“I just cried so hard… This last hour my heart was beating so fast, I was so anxious, anxiety bussing through the roof. But to know GUILTY ON ALL 3 CHARGES !!! THANK YOU GOD THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU… George Floyd we did it!!... justice has been served,” Frazier wrote.
Frazier also testified during Chauvin’s trial, stating that the video “changed” her life and that she had spent the days following the incident “apologizing” to Floyd for not being able to help.
“When I look at George Floyd I look at my dad. I look at my cousins, my uncles. Because they are all Black,” Frazier said. “I look at how that could have been one of them.”
Members of the media and other prominent figures took to social media following the verdict to point out the significance of Frazier’s video. Without it, the public may not have had a clear picture of what happened to Floyd, they said.
The Minneapolis Police Department’s initial news release the day following the incident did not mention Chauvin’s neck restraint or the fact that Floyd was placed face down on the ground.
The release stated Floyd died "after medical incident during police interaction" and that he had suffered “medical distress" after he "physically resisted officers."
