Man who witnessed George Floyd’s death wins hefty six-figure settlement from city

The Minneapolis City Council has agreed to pay one of the witnesses to George Floyd’s death $150,000 after he sued the city for the emotional damages that resulted from the incident, the Minnesota Star Tribune reported.

Donald Williams sued the city in May 2023 for $50,000, alleging that he “has endured and/or will endure medical expenses, emotional distress, pain, suffering, humiliation [and] embarrassment” as a result of witnessing the Minneapolis Police Department’s conduct when arresting Floyd, according to the New York Post. Williams, who yelled at and insulted officers as they were restraining Floyd, was ultimately awarded more than his initial lawsuit demanded in a unanimous vote by the Minneapolis City Council, the Minnesota Star Tribune reported. Chauvin was convicted of Floyd’s murder and sentenced to 22 and a half years in prison.

As officers were restraining Floyd, Williams repeatedly urged them to release him. Williams called police officer Derek Chauvin a “bum” multiple times and approached the officers, having to be ordered back onto the sidewalk, according to bodycam footage.

“I train at the academy bro, that’s some bullshit bro,” Williams said to the officers as they were restraining Floyd.

Floyd died after being restrained by officers for more than nine minutes.

Williams’ lawsuit alleges that the officers grabbed a canister of chemical spray and began shaking it at him, and that one officer stepped toward him and placed a hand on his chest, resulting in emotional trauma, the Minnesota Star Tribune reported.

“I look to my left, I see George Floyd,” Williams told the Minnesota Star Tribune in April 2021, roughly a year after Floyd’s death. “I look to my right, I see George Floyd. I look somewhere else and it’s like I’m always remembering.”

Williams testified against Chauvin during his 2021 murder trial, the Minnesota Star Tribune reported.

The Minneapolis Police Department has paid out roughly $50 million in police misconduct cases since Floyd’s death and the accompanying protests riots, according to city records.

The Minneapolis City Council did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

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