The George Floyd murder trial is on its way.
Right before the trial started, Floyd’s brothers Philonise and Terrence, his nephew Brandon Williams, Rev. Al Sharpton, Benjamin Crump, and others “took a knee” for 8 minutes and 46 seconds (the length of time ex-cop Derek Chauvin kneeled on the deceased’s neck) in front of the Hennepin County Courthouse.
The day was going to be heavy and this gesture reminded the public what was at stake.
It did not, however, prepare them for the very first witness called to the stand and her delivery of the most heart-wrenching testimony about the murder.
For the first time, Jena Scurry, the 911 dispatcher who first phoned in the complaint about the counterfeit currency claim, is speaking out in court about seeing the former officer, Derek Chauvin kneeling on the late rapper’s neck from a random video being played at dispatch and noting to herself that “something wasn’t right.”
She said she saw, as it happened, Chauvin’s knee on Floyd’s neck prompted her to report the incident to the cop’s superior.
While on the stand it was revealed that Scurry was also the person that directed the officers to the Cup Foods at 38th and Chicago Avenue on May 25, 2020, to handle a call about a man that the world knows now as Floyd, using a counterfeit bill.
But she had no idea that what was supposed to be a routine call, would quickly cause a man to lose his life. She said she watched the incident from surveillance footage from a pole-mounted camera.
She said under oath, “I first asked if the screens had frozen because it hadn’t changed. I thought something might be wrong.”
“They had come from the back of the squad to the ground and my instincts were telling me that something was not right,” she continued before finishing. “It was an extended period of time. I can’t tell you the exact period and they hadn’t told me if they needed any more resources but I became concerned that something might be wrong.”
This particular video has not been shared with the public.
In the footage, one can see three of the ex-police (Chauvin, Thomas Lane, and J Alexander Keung) hovering over the man as he laid on the ground dying in the middle of the floor. The footage also showed Tou Thao keeping the onlookers at bay and looking on.
Bravely, she acted counter blue-culture and finally reacted to what she saw, knowing the risks were great that someone within law enforcement would call her a snitch. Despite that, she said, “I took that instinct and I called the sergeant.”
The day was emotional. The defense shocked many people when they claimed George Floyd died of a drug overdose.