Courteney Ross, who was dating George Floyd before his death in May, said in court Thursday that Floyd called her by the nickname “Mama,” which Floyd notably yelled out numerous times during his arrest and detainment by Minneapolis police officers.
Ross said Floyd also called his late mother “Mama,” with whom he was very close before her death in 2018.
“Ross, who has two children, also said that Floyd had referred to her and his own mother, who died in 2018, by the same nickname: ‘Mama.’ Floyd had called out for ‘Mama’ as Chauvin knelt on his neck moments before his death on May 25,” The New York Times reported.
After his mother died, Ross said, Floyd “seemed kind of like a shell of himself, like he was broken. He seemed so sad. He didn’t have the same kind of bounce that he had.”
Following the death of Floyd, numerous political pundits emotionally noted that Floyd called out for his mother. Ross’ testimony adds a new wrinkle, as he might have been calling out for Ross, or Ross and his late mother.
Ross was sharing testimony during the trial of Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin for second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter in relation to Floyd’s death.
Chauvin can be found guilty of all, some, or none of the charges since they are all separate.
The former officer, who has no criminal history, is likely looking at “serving about 12 1/2 years whether he is convicted of second or third-degree murder,” according to The Associated Press. The manslaughter charge, which has the lowest burden of proof, “means a maximum of just 10 years behind bars if convicted.”
After officers were notified that Floyd allegedly gave counterfeit money at a convenience store, Chauvin and three other officers arrested and detained Floyd. Viral video shows that Chauvin kneeled on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes while detaining Floyd.
“Chauvin’s attorneys argue that Floyd’s drug use was a crucial factor in his death. The Hennepin County medical examiner reported after Floyd’s autopsy that the deceased had potentially lethal levels of drugs in his system,” The Daily Wire noted Thursday.
While on the stand, Ross also detailed her and Floyd’s struggles with addiction. “Both Floyd and I, our story is a classic story is of how we both get addicted to opioids,” she said, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. “We got addicted and tried really hard to break that addiction many times.”
As reported by The Daily Wire, Ross also detailed an incident in March where she rushed Floyd to the hospital after he complained of stomach pains: “She learned later that Floyd had overdosed that night, and that was why he needed to be hospitalized. She did not know on what Floyd had overdosed. Ross also stated, in response to a question, that she was unaware that Floyd had allegedly taken heroin.”
“Later in the trial, Ross confirmed that Floyd was with Morries Hall, who had sold both her and Floyd drugs, at the time of Floyd’s arrest in May,” The Daily Wire outlined. “She said that the pills she and Floyd got in May reminded her of some she took in March that kept her up all night and left her feeling jittery, and that she believed they came from Hall, but was she was not sure, according to the Star-Tribune. … Earlier, while talking to the FBI, Ross had said that those pills she and Floyd had left her feeling like she was going to die.”
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