Floyd’s girlfriend gives tear-filled testimony of his life on Day 4 of Chauvin trial

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• Judy Woodruff:

  This was day four of the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. He is charged with second- and third-degree murder and manslaughter in the killing of George Floyd last May.

  As special correspondent Fred de Sam Lazaro reports, prosecutors continued to lay out their case.

• Fred De Sam Lazaro:

  A trial already filled with emotion began with more tearful testimony this morning. George Floyd's girlfriend, Courteney Ross, took the stand and cried as she told the story of how the two met at a Salvation Army shelter in 2017.

• Courteney Ross:

  Floyd has this great, deep Southern voice, raspy. And he's like: "Sis, you OK, sis?"

  This kind person just to come up to me and say, "Can I pray with you?" it was so sweet.

• Fred De Sam Lazaro:

  Ross described Floyd as a — quote — "momma's boy" who loved his two daughters. She also spoke about their shared struggle with opioid addiction.

• Courteney Ross:

  We both suffered from chronic pain. We got addicted, and tried really hard to break that addiction.

• Fred De Sam Lazaro:

  Derek Chauvin's defense is trying to convince jurors that Floyd's drug use, coupled with underlying health conditions, actually caused his death.

  An autopsy revealed Floyd had fentanyl and methamphetamine in his system when he died. Ross told jurors she took Floyd to the hospital in March 2020, just two months before his death, for what she later learned was an overdose.

  Shortly after Ross' testimony, lawyers for Floyd's family released a statement, saying: "We fully expected the defense to put George's character and struggles with addiction on trial, because that is the go-to tactic when the facts are not on your side."

  Lawyers also questioned a Minneapolis police sergeant who came to the scene after Floyd died.

• Steve Schleicher:

  Based on your review of the body-worn camera footage, do you have an opinion as to when the restraint of Mr. Floyd should have ended in this encounter?

• David Ploeger:

  Yes.

• Steve Schleicher:

  What is it?

• David Ploeger:

  When Mr. Floyd was no longer offering up any resistance to the officers, they could have ended their restraint.

• Steve Schleicher:

  And that was after he was handcuffed and on the ground and no longer resistant?

• David Ploeger:

  Correct.

• Fred De Sam Lazaro:

  Jurors also heard from first responders, including one paramedic who moved Chauvin's knee off Floyd, and another who thought Floyd was dead when they arrived.

  For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Fred de Sam Lazaro.