Inside Cup Foods. Store surveillance video, played for the jury, shows Floyd chatting with a fellow customer. Within half an hour Floyd would be dead in police custody outside.
Unclear whether Floyd realized his $20 bill was bogus
MINNEAPOLIS – The Cup Foods clerk who sold cigarettes to George Floyd the evening he died told a court that he remained haunted these many months later for his part, however unintended, in Floyd’s death. Christopher Martin, 19, filled in parts of events of May 25 in testifying at the murder trial of police officer Derek Chauvin. As Martin testified, the jury was shown a store video of the encounter inside the store. There was no audio, but Floyd does not appear threatening. He appears to be joking with other customers. To the jury Martin said that Floyd was approachable and talkative, but he did “seem high.”
Earlier: Floyd death witness: “Wasn’t anything I could do”
Minute by minute
What happened at Cup Foods before the escalation:
> Martin exchanged small talk with Floyd when he walked into the store. Martin described him as friendly and seemed to be enjoying his Memorial Day weekend. Floyd did “seem high,” Martin told the jury.
> Floyd bought a pack of cigarettes with a $20 bill.
> As Floyd was leaving, Martin noticed an odd blue pigment on the $20 bill and realized it probably was fake. Martin pondered whether to let it go and have his paycheck docked by $20, which was store policy for having accepted a counterfeit bill.
> Martin chose to tell his boss. The manager told Martin to follow Floyd outside and ask him to make it right.
> Martin approached Floyd, who was sitting in a vehicle, and asked him to come back to the store and speak to the manager. Floyd was unwilling to go back. Martin said Floyd may not have known the $20 bill was a fake.
> Martin went back into store and then went back to the car with a co-worker and asked Floyd again. Again Floyd dismissed him.
> Martin went back to work. His manager called 911 for police to intervene.
The next thing that Martin knew, police were outside and a crowd was gathering.
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GEORGE FLOYD MURDER TRIAL
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Martin. The store clerk testified that the evening of May 25 has left him with an unreal sense of guilt. What if, for example, he recognized right away that the $20. bill was bogus. About all that transpired, Martin said: “This could have been avoided.”