George Floyd died of low blood oxygen levels, according to doctor

The African American George Floyd He died of low oxygen levels in the blood after former police officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee against his neck for several minutes, said one of the witnesses in the trial against the ex-agent, Dr. Martin Tobin, on Thursday. This is the opinion of a lung and intensive care specialist who reviewed the medical records for this case.

During his court appearance in Minneapolis (Minnesota, USA), Tobin explained that there are a number of reasons for the low levels of oxygen found in the blood of Floyd.

In that sense, he stressed that Chauvin He put 91.5 pounds (41.5 kilograms), half the weight of his body plus that of his clothes and equipment he was wearing, on Floyd’s neck.

“The cause of the low oxygen levels was weak breathing,” said the doctor, who explained that the air could not reach the victim’s lungs.

The expert, who relied on graphics and video images, stressed that the way he was handcuffed Floyd and the position in which Chauvin pinned him to the ground created a kind of tourniquet that affected his breathing.

The trial against the former police officer began at the end of March. During the first days, the sessions of the process focused on the last moments of the life of Floyd on May 25, while this week experts and police experts testified.

The defense of the ex-agent is trying to link the death of Floyd the fact that he used drugs and his health problems.

Floyd He was killed when four officers tried to arrest him for having used a counterfeit bill to pay at a store. During your arrest, Chauvin She pinned him to the ground by pressing her knee against his neck until he stopped breathing.

The former police officer is charged with second degree murder, punishable by up to 40 years in prison; murder in the third degree, with a maximum sentence of 25 years, and murder in the second degree, which carries up to 10 years of deprivation of liberty.

However, since he has no criminal record, he could only be sentenced to a maximum of 12 and a half years in prison for the first two charges and 4 years in prison for the third.