911 dispatcher recounts watching George Floyd’s killing as it happened
Delivering testimony during the trial of former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin on Monday, 911 dispatcher Jena Scurry testified that she thought the live security video had frozen as George Floyd lay motionless on the ground.
Video Transcript
JENA SCURRY: I believe this is when I started watching again.
MATTHEW FRANK: And so for the record, the time stamp at the top reflects 8:19:25. So this is what you mean by them having him on the ground?
JENA SCURRY: Correct.
MATTHEW FRANK: Do you recall how long you were able to watch around this time?
JENA SCURRY: No. Honestly, I was in and out of looking at the cameras and then going back to my screens to make sure I wasn't missing anything, added remarks, getting out calls, and then I would go back to this screen again.
MATTHEW FRANK: Now-- and actually, I think what I'll do is just pause it here. After seeing this, at some point then, did you look back to the screen?
JENA SCURRY: To-- to back to go working?
MATTHEW FRANK: No, back to this video of-- of the scene.
JENA SCURRY: Yes, I was in and out of looking at this screen and then my-- my work full screens.
MATTHEW FRANK: And at some point then, did you go back to this? How did it appear at that time when you went back to it?
JENA SCURRY: It had not changed.
MATTHEW FRANK: And what do you mean by that?
JENA SCURRY: At-- it-- they were still on the ground. The whole situation was still on the scene.
MATTHEW FRANK: Had there been other changes to the scene? Were there other people in there?
JENA SCURRY: I didn't pay attention to the surroundings of what was going on. I just know that they hadn't moved.
MATTHEW FRANK: All right. And-- but at some point, did you see other, like, citizens in the video?
JENA SCURRY: There-- I cannot remember seeing them. I just remembered looking up and seeing that the situation hadn't changed.
MATTHEW FRANK: Do you recall approximately how long that was?
JENA SCURRY: No, it was long enough. It was-- it was long enough that I could look back multiple times.
MATTHEW FRANK: And so when you did look back, still on the ground like depicted here essentially?
JENA SCURRY: Correct.
MATTHEW FRANK: And what did you think about this when you looked back and saw that it hadn't changed?
JENA SCURRY: I first asked if the screens had frozen.
MATTHEW FRANK: Why did you ask that?
JENA SCURRY: Because it hadn't changed.
MATTHEW FRANK: OK. And did you find that it had frozen?
JENA SCURRY: No.
MATTHEW FRANK: How did you know--
JENA SCURRY: Well, I was told that it was not frozen.
MATTHEW FRANK: Did you see the screen change yourself?
JENA SCURRY: Yes, I saw the persons moving.
MATTHEW FRANK: So what did you start thinking at that point?
JENA SCURRY: Something might be wrong.
MATTHEW FRANK: Why?
JENA SCURRY: We don't get these videos often, or, you know, video at all unless it's looking at the bridge or just looking at people walking. We very rarely get incidents where police are actively on a scene. And they had changed. They had come from the back of the squad to the ground. And my instincts were telling me that something's wrong. Something has not right. I don't know what, but something wasn't right.
MATTHEW FRANK: In what ways was not-- were you thinking that something was not right?
JENA SCURRY: It was an extended period of time. Again, I can't tell you the exact amount of time. And they hadn't told me that they needed any more resources. It's-- it's a multitude of different things that ran through my brain. But I became concerned that something might be wrong.
MATTHEW FRANK: Wrong with-- with what? What are you thinking?
JENA SCURRY: It was a gut instinct of in the incident, something's not going right, whether it be they needed more assistance. Or if there were there-- just something wasn't right. I don't know how to explain it. It was a gut instinct to tell me that now we can be concerned.
