Nelson immediately used his questions to try to show that Floyd was resisting police orders in May 2019. Nelson tried throughout the trial to obtain evidence that would support his view that Floyd died of health problems, not the actions of the officers. . during the May 2020 arrest.
‘I approached the vehicle on the passenger side. The passenger window was down. I’m starting to instruct the individual who was in the passenger seat a few times, “recalls Creighton, now retired, from the May 2019 arrest.
Paul Blume
(@ PaulBlume_FOX9)Creighton retired from MPD. Judge Cahill read out a statement to the jury regarding the arrest of 6 May 2019 #GeorgeFloyd. Judge tells them that it * should * not be used as character evidence #GeorgeFloyd. Its limited purpose is to show the potential impact of opioids on Floyd. pic.twitter.com/wMfRBdKQlG
“The passenger does not respond and does not comply with my instructions”.
Creighton testified that he “had to physically intervene … because I wanted to see his hands.” Floyd was taken out of the vehicle and handcuffed.
“In my opinion, his behavior was very nervous, anxious”.
“Did you draw your service weapon?” Ask Nelson.
“Yes I have.”
Nelson launches Creighton’s camera footage from that day. He says, “I do not intend to shoot you” and his service weapon is visible in the frame.
“Hold your hands where I can see it!” Creighton says at one point while telling Floyd to put his hands on the dashboard.
“I’m not going to shoot you,” he said.
In this video, Floyd is resisted.
Prosecutor Creighton, on the other hand, is asking questions to indicate that Floyd was not in medical stress during this arrest, in an attempt to undermine Nelson’s health problem-oriented defense.
“Was he awake during this incident?” asks the prosecution.
‘Yes.’
‘Was he conscious?
“Yes,” Creighton said, later remarking, “he was incoherent in my mind.”
Cahill told jurors that Creighton’s testimony was not about Floyd’s character.
After Creighton’s testimony was completed, Nelson called the next witness to the defense, Michelle Moseng. She is a retired paramedic from Minneapolis who was called after his arrest in May 2019 to assist Floyd.
“It was quite difficult to judge him,” Moseng testified. “He was upset and confused.” Nelson asked her if Floyd had told her he was taking drugs.
“He told me he, like every 20 minutes, took it more than once, and that was, I can’t remember if it was oxy or Percocet, but it was opioid based,” she says.