NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / World

George Floyd murder trial: 'Back off' - The eye-opening police footage you haven't seen

Heath Moore
By Heath Moore
NZ Herald·
1 Apr, 2021 12:40 AM6 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

New harrowing footage of George Floyd's altercation with police that led to his death has been shown in court, with some of it previously unseen until now. Video / Prosecution Evidence

New harrowing footage of George Floyd's altercation with police that led to his death has been shown in court, with some of it previously unseen until now.

The police bodycam footage comes as the murder trial of ex-officer Derek Chauvin continues for a third day.

Footage belonging to officers Thomas Lane, J Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao, show police arriving at the scene after Floyd paid for items at a food store with a counterfeit $20 note.

The footage, which is extremely confronting, starts by showing police walk up to Floyd's car and pulling a gun on him within 10 seconds of their initial conversation.

A panicked Floyd is seen pleading with the officer not to shoot him as he slowly obeys instructions.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

He begs them: "Please don't shoot me ... I just lost my mum."

George Floyd has a gun pulled on him by a police officer within 10 seconds of asking him to put his hands on his head. Photo / Court TV
George Floyd has a gun pulled on him by a police officer within 10 seconds of asking him to put his hands on his head. Photo / Court TV

Floyd is handcuffed and continues to plead with Officers Lane and Kueng, saying he is not resisting them and "will do anything you tell me to".

A scuffle occurs when police try to get Floyd into a vehicle, and he starts panicking, crying and resisting while saying he is claustrophobic and has anxiety.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Chauvin and his partner Thao arrive as the arrest goes on.

As the police officers drag him out of the car and restrain him on the ground, Floyd can be heard calling for his mother and telling his family members he loves them.

During the deadly arrest, one officer's body cam captured bystanders pleading with police to check his pulse after Floyd's body became lifeless.

As Floyd is losing breath and consciousness, witness Donald Williams fires up, demanding they check his pulse.

Witnesses: 1. Donald Williams. 2. Darnella. 3. Darnella's cousin. 4. Alissa. 5. Kalen. 6. Genevieve Hansen. Photo / Court TV
Witnesses: 1. Donald Williams. 2. Darnella. 3. Darnella's cousin. 4. Alissa. 5. Kalen. 6. Genevieve Hansen. Photo / Court TV

He also accused police of enjoying killing Floyd.

"This is bull***t bro. You're stopping his breathing bro. Get him off the ground bro. You're being a bum right now. You're enjoying that s**t. Your body language is crazy.

"You know that's bogus. He's not even resisting arrest. He's not breathing right now. You think that's cool? You're a bum. I'm not scared of you. You're a pussy a** dude bro. Check on him he's not responding. He's not responsive now.

"Is he breathing right now? Check his pulse. You just going to let him kneel on his neck?"

Footage then shows off-duty firefighter and emergency medical technician Genevieve Hansen arriving at the scene and telling police she has medical training and can assist.

Her offer to help was ignored while Floyd was still on the ground saying he couldn't breathe.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

One officer yells at the firefighter to "back off", demanding she moves to the sidewalk.

She asks "does he have a pulse?" but is ignored again.

A police officer is seen telling a trained medic to "back off" while George Floyd laid on the ground dying in police custody. Photo / Court TV
A police officer is seen telling a trained medic to "back off" while George Floyd laid on the ground dying in police custody. Photo / Court TV

During the ordeal, Hansen grew increasingly alarmed and started shouting at officer "check his pulse. Let me see a pulse".

Officer Tou Thao can be heard warning Hansen not to get involved before telling Williams "don't do drugs".

Even after Floyd became unconscious, officer Derek Chauvin can still be seen leaning on his neck with his knee.

An unconscious Floyd was then taken to hospital in an ambulance where he was later declared dead.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

During yesterday's proceedings, Hansen described her frustration at being denied the chance to give Floyd medical assistance.

"There was a man being killed," she said.

"I would have been able to provide medical attention to the best of my abilities. And this human was denied that right."

The firefighter specifically blamed one of the police officers, Tou Thao, for refusing to give her access to Floyd.

"He said something along the lines of, 'If you really are a Minneapolis firefighter, you would know better than to get involved,'" she recounted.

Genevieve Hansen, a Minneapolis firefighter and emergency medical technician who was off duty at the time of the arrest, said she was "desperate to help" Mr Floyd but officers would not let her.
Genevieve Hansen, a Minneapolis firefighter and emergency medical technician who was off duty at the time of the arrest, said she was "desperate to help" Mr Floyd but officers would not let her.

"That wasn't right. That was exactly what I should have done. There was no medical assistance on scene, and I got there and I could have given medical assistance. That's exactly what I should have done."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Asked what she would have done, given the chance, she said she would have checked Mr Floyd's airway for obstructions and checked his pulse.

"When I didn't find a pulse, if that was the case, I would have started compressions, and continued impressions at a rate of 100 a minute until help arrived," Hansen explained.

She said she told the officers that, if they weren't going to allow her into the scene, they should check his pulse themselves and start compressions if necessary.

"That wasn't done either," she said.

In court, Williams was questioned by the defence, who asked if he grew angry at police.

"I grew professional and professional. I stayed in my body," Williams replied. "You can't paint me out to be angry."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Williams said he was speaking loudly so that he could be heard, so that he wouldn't be ignored. He was imploring Chauvin to relent. He was calling Chauvin a bum and lacing his speech with expletives because the situation was too dire for polite conversation.

It was revealed Williams called police after Floyd was taken away in an ambulance because "I believed I witnessed a murder."

Prosecutor Matthew Frank played back Williams' 911 call, on which he is heard identifying officer Derek Chauvin by his badge number and telling the dispatcher that Chauvin had been keeping his knee on Floyd's neck despite warnings that Floyd's life was in danger.

New harrowing footage of George Floyd's altercation with police that led to his death has been shown in court, with some of it previously unseen until now. Photo / Court TV
New harrowing footage of George Floyd's altercation with police that led to his death has been shown in court, with some of it previously unseen until now. Photo / Court TV

She offers to switch him to a sergeant.

As he is being switched, Williams can be heard yelling at the officers, "Y'all is murderers, bro!"

Chauvin, 45, is charged with murder and manslaughter, accused of killing Floyd by pinning the 46-year-old handcuffed black man to the pavement for what prosecutors said was 9 minutes, 29 seconds. Floyd was arrested after being accused of trying to pass a counterfeit $20 bill at the convenience store.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Floyd's death, along with the bystander video of him pleading that he couldn't breathe, triggered sometimes violent protests around the world and a reckoning over racism and police brutality across the US.

The trial continues.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from World

Premium
World

Shifting views and misdirection: How Trump decided to strike Iran

23 Jun 06:15 PM
World

Why rice is poised to survive better in a warming world

23 Jun 06:00 PM
Premium
World

Uncanny Earth-like weather found on Jupiter, Mars, and Titan

23 Jun 06:00 PM

Kaibosh gets a clean-energy boost in the fight against food waste

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from World

Premium
Shifting views and misdirection: How Trump decided to strike Iran

Shifting views and misdirection: How Trump decided to strike Iran

23 Jun 06:15 PM

New York Times: Military planners worried that Trump was giving Iran too much warning.

Why rice is poised to survive better in a warming world

Why rice is poised to survive better in a warming world

23 Jun 06:00 PM
Premium
Uncanny Earth-like weather found on Jupiter, Mars, and Titan

Uncanny Earth-like weather found on Jupiter, Mars, and Titan

23 Jun 06:00 PM
 Explosions heard over Qatar as Iran launches missiles toward US base
live

Explosions heard over Qatar as Iran launches missiles toward US base

23 Jun 05:22 PM
Engage and explore one of the most remote places on Earth in comfort and style
sponsored

Engage and explore one of the most remote places on Earth in comfort and style

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP