Darnella Frazier, teen who filmed George Floyd’s murder, wins Pulitzer citation
Darnella Frazier was only 17 when she courageously recorded the murder of George Floyd.
Darnella Frazier, the teen who filmed the murder of George Floyd, has been awarded a Pulitzer Prize citation.
On Friday (June 11), Aminda Marqués González, co-chair of the Pulitzer Prize Board, announced that Frazier was honored “for courageously recording the murder of George Floyd, a video that spurred protests against police brutality around the world, highlighting the crucial role of citizens in journalists’ quest for truth and justice.”
Frazier was only 17 when she took her cousin to the Cup Foods convenience store where Floyd’s murder took place. She was among several witnesses who pleaded with Derek Chauvin and the other Minneapolis police officers to spare Floyd’s life.
During Chauvin’s murder trial, Frazier gave an emotional testimony of Floyd’s final moments. She said he was “terrified, scared, begging for his life” as Chauvin had his knee planted on his neck for over nine minutes. She also said that several bystanders pleaded with the officers to check Floyd’s pulse, but they were ignored.
The teen also stated that she regrets not doing more to help Floyd. “It’s been nights, I stayed up apologizing and apologizing to George Floyd for not doing more and not physically interacting and not saving his life,” she testified.
“But it’s like, it’s not what I should have done,” Frazier added. “It’s what he (Chauvin) should have done.”
After Chauvin was convicted for Floyd’s death on charges of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, Frazier took to social media to react to the verdict. “I just cried so hard,” she wrote. “This last hour my heart was beating so fast, I was so anxious, anxiety bussing through the roof. But to know GUILTY ON ALL 3 CHARGES!!! THANK YOU GOD THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU.”
“George Floyd we did it!!” she added. “Justice has been served.”
Congratulations to Frazier on her Pulitzer Prize citation. Check out a tweet from the Pulitzer Prize Twitter account below.