MINNEAPOLIS — Darnella Frazier was simply walking to the store when she saw it.
She was taking her 9-year-old cousin to get some snacks when they witnessed George Floyd being arrested outside Cup Foods in Minneapolis.
She captured the arrest on video, shared it on social media and provided one of the biggest pieces of evidence that eventually led to the conviction of former Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin.
On Tuesday afternoon, shortly after the jury found Chauvin guilty on all three counts – second and third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter – Frazier once again went to social media.
"I just cried so hard," Frazier 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 THANK YOU George Floyd we did it!! justice has been served"
Frazier's video and powerful testimony during the trial helped tell the story of what occurred at the corner of 38th and Chicago Avenue on May 25, 2020, and many observers felt it played a key role in Chauvin's conviction.
"Darnella Frazier is a hero," said actress Kerry Washington. "Her bravery in that moment must never be forgotten. We lift you up Darnella."
Washington wasn't alone in this sentiment.
Frazier's video was unprecedented in a trial of this magnitude. It showed Chauvin's knee of Floyd's neck and allowed expert witnesses an opportunity to examine the incident frame by frame to fully explain every moment that led to Floyd's death.
Some jurors said they hadn't seen the video leading up to the trial, but the video was shown several times throughout the trial as a key piece of evidence. Multiple experts broke down the video to give the jury a complete understanding of what occurred.
"It wasn't right. He was suffering. He was in pain," she said of Floyd during her testimony.
The jury ultimately agreed, and declared Chauvin guilty on all counts.