Listen Live
Stone Soul Vendor Graphics
99.3-105.7 Kiss FM
CLOSE
Columbus Protest Art for George Floyd and Black Lives Matter

Source: Nia Noelle / Nia Noelle

George Floyd was a “sweet” man who loved the outdoors, was committed to his girlfriend and struggled with opioid addiction.That’s according to Courteney Ross, who dated the late Minneapolis man from 2017 until his death at the hands of Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin.

Ross opened day four of Chauvin’s trial Thursday by testifying about Floyd’s character and their shared issues with opioid addiction. “It’s a classic story of how many people get addicted to opioids,” Ross told the court. “We both suffer from chronic pain. Me in my neck and he in his back.”

Ross’ testimony comes after Chauvin’s attorney, Eric Nelson, told jurors Floyd didn’t die because his client cut off his air supply by kneeling on his neck; instead, he succumbed to heart problems brought on by a drug overdose, Nelson claims. In his opening statement, Nelson told the jury Floyd had a “mixture of methamphetamine and fentanyl” in his system when he died.

Does it matter if Floyd was on drugs? Even if he was a full-blown drug addict, would that excuse Chauvin’s actions?

See story here