Darnella Frazier, the teenager who used her cellphone to record George Floyd's arrest last May outside of Cup Foods in Minneapolis, wrote on Facebook that she "cried so hard" on Tuesday when it was announced that former police officer Derek Chauvin had been found guilty of murdering Floyd, an unarmed Black man.
Frazier, then 17, had gone to the market with her younger cousin to buy a snack. The footage she captured, which showed Chauvin with his knee on Floyd's neck for more than nine minutes, has been seen around the world; without it, there's widespread speculation Chauvin would have never been prosecuted. Frazier was one of the first witnesses to testify at Chauvin's trial, telling the court there have been "nights I stayed up apologizing and apologized to George Floyd for not doing more."
Frazier wrote on Facebook Tuesday that before the guilty verdict was announced, "my heart was beating so fast, I was so anxious," The Washington Post reports, and she thanked God for Chauvin being convicted on all charges. "George Floyd we did it!" Frazier wrote, adding, "Justice has been served."
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After the verdict was announced, President Biden called Frazier "brave," as did Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison (D), who said Frazier and the other bystanders who pulled out their phones and started recording Floyd's arrest "performed simple yet profound acts of courage."
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