George Floyd died of asphyxia: family medical examiner’s autopsy
By Kate Sheehy
June 1, 2020 | 3:32pm | Updated
George Floyd was killed by “asphyxia due to neck and back compression,” according to an independent medical examiner’s report released Monday — which directly contradicts Minnesota authorities’ findings.
“Sustained pressure on the right side of Mr. Floyd’s carotid artery impeded blood flow to the brain, and weight on his back impeded his ability to breathe,” said the report by medical examiners hired by Floyd’s family and detailed in a statement from his lawyers.
Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, died in Minneapolis on May 25 after having his neck knelt on by a white Minnesota cop for 9 minutes, even as he cried, “I can’t breathe.” Two other white officers also appear to have knelt on his back during the horrific encounter, which was caught on videotape.
But preliminary findings from an official autopsy claimed that Floyd died from the combined effects of being restrained, possible intoxicants and underlying health issues including heart disease, Minnesota officials have said.
There were no “physical findings to support diagnosis of traumatic asphyxia or strangulation,” prosecutors have said.
One of the family’s experts, Dr. Allecia Wilson, said Monday, “Our findings do differ.”
Minnesota authorities claim “that there no evidence of asphyxia,” while she and Baden insist “there was evidence in this case of … traumatic asphyxia,” she said.
Wilson added that Floyd had “no significant evidence” of heart disease, as Minnesota authorities suggested.
The other family expert, former New York City ME and Dr. Michael Baden, said Floyd “was in good health” before the fatal racially charged encounter during what should have been a routine arrest over an alleged counterfeit $20 bill.
“The cause of death is what is seen at the time of the death [on video footage] — he couldn’t breathe,” Baden said of Floyd.
“And that’s homicidal” the doctor said, adding that the cell-phone footage showed Floyd motionless on the ground while now-fired Officer Derek Chauvin had his knee pressed against his neck — including for about 4 minutes when the man appeared unresponsive. Chauvin now faces criminal charges in the case.
At one point, Floyd was “calling out for his mother, who had been dead for three years,” Baden said.
Yet even that didn’t cause “the release of the pressure — and that is very disturbing.
“When he said, ‘I can’t breathe,’ unfortunately, many police are under the impression that if you can talk, you are breathing,” Baden said. “That’s not true.’’
The family’s experts said it appears that Floyd died at the scene.
One of the family’s lawyers, Ben Crump, said, at the press conference, “For George Floyd, the ambulance was his hearse.”
Another family lawyer, Antonio Romanucci, called Floyd’s death “a public execution.”
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