The trial of former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin will resume tomorrow after witness testimony was cut short when a “major technical glitch” interrupted a video feed to other rooms in the courthouse where family members were watching, Judge Peter Cahill said.
Donald Wynn Williams II, who testified that he witnessed George Floyd’s death, will resume his testimony tomorrow.
Williams testified that he was going to Cup Foods when he came upon Floyd being restrained by police. He testified that he watched Floyd gasping for air, his eyes roll to the back of his head, and blood start to come out of his nose.
“Just hearing people, different people, actually vocalizing their concerns to the officer, and hearing George on the ground, pretty much pleading for his life,” Williams said.
Williams said he was among the bystanders vocally pleading for Floyd’s life. He testified that Officer Tou Thao said “this is what drugs do to you."
Williams, who said he was a high school and college wrestler who pursued mixed martial arts, testified that he has experience with chokeholds. He testified he had 10 amateur mixed martial art fights and 20 professional ones since 2009.
He said he also worked with police officers in his security job and trained with them in mixed martial arts at a gym.
Williams told prosecutor Matthew Frank that there were different types of chokeholds and he has been subjected to them in his mixed martial arts training and career.
He said the move Chauvin was using on Floyd looked like a “blood choke.”
Williams, who was shown a bystander video during his testimony, said it appeared that Chauvin was trying to “shimmy” his knee to make the hold tighter.
“Every time his shoulders move, he is pushing that pressure down on his neck,” Williams testified.