A firefighter at Derek Chauvin's murder trial recounted how police officers prevented her from helping George Floyd despite her "desperate" pleas.
Genevieve Hansen, 27, an EMT certified firefighter in Minneapolis explained during her tearful testimony that the officers refused to let her assist at the scene, even though Floyd was no longer moving and his face was "puffy and swollen".
Hansen, who was off duty at the time of Floyd's arrest, said, per the Independent: "There was a man being killed, and had I had access to a call similar to that I would have been able to provide medical attention to the best of my abilities and this human was denied that right."
She went on: "I think it all settled in that I wished I had called 911 immediately, it was ridiculous that Fire Station 17 was as close as it was and they hadn’t been there."
"I should have called 911 immediately but didn’t. When things calmed down I realized I wanted them to know what was going on and to basically report it.
"I was still worried about the witnesses on scene, particularly as they were people of color and Black men. I was worried for their safety as the officers were still on scene," Hansen added.
The firefighter also recalled that the now-fired police officer Tou Thao demanded that she remain on the sidewalk, which is when she started filming the incident on her phone.
"I noticed they were leaning over his body, it appeared to be the majority of their weight on Mr Floyd. I remember seeing four on his body, we know now it was three," she said. "He was not moving and he was cuffed and three grown men is a lot of weight to put on somebody, too much."
Hansen explained how she told Thao of her background, who allegedly told her "if you really are a Minneapolis firefighter you would know better than to get involved."
"I was worried he would not believe me and would not let me help, and that is not right, that is exactly what I should have done," she went on.
"There was no medical assistance on scene, I got there and I could have given medical assistance. That is exactly what I should have done."
After persistently pleading with the officers to let her help Floyd, she says she offered to walk them through the necessary medical assistance, but they continued to ignore her.
"I was desperate to help and was not getting what I needed to do in gaining access," she said. Hansen also stated that she not seen the officers check Floyd's pulse at the scene.
The trial of Derek Chauvin, who is charged with the killing of George Floyd after he knelt on his neck for approximately nine minutes, started on March 29 and is expected to last four weeks.
Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter, CBS News reports. He has pleaded not guilty.
The three officers present during Floyd's arrest last year besides Chauvin include J. Alexander Keung, Thomas Lane, and Tou Thao. They are facing aiding and abetting charges.