George Floyd died of violence in his arrest, says coroner who performed autopsy

Heart problems and drug use were not “the direct causes” of the death of George Floyd, which was caused by the violence of his arrest, said the forensic doctor who carried out the autopsy on Friday.

At the end of the second week of the police trial Derek Chauvin, accused of the murder of Floyd, this affirmation contradicted the thesis of the defense of the agent.

The immobilization imposed by the police and the compression of his neck were “Too much for George Floyd considering his heart condition “explained Andrew Baker before the Minneapolis court that tries Chauvin, a 45-year-old white cop.

The agent is accused of having killed Floyd on May 25, 2020 by keeping his knee on the detainee’s neck for almost ten minutes.

The African-American repeatedly yelled “I can’t breathe” at the three policemen who kept him lying face down on the asphalt, with his hands handcuffed from behind, putting pressure on his back, neck and ribs.

For the prosecution, this pressure was what caused the death of Floyd, who lost consciousness due to lack of oxygen before dying.

The scene, filmed live by bystanders, traveled the world and sparked a huge wave of anti-racist and anti-police violence protests around the world.

Floyd, 46, had a larger than normal heart due to hypertension, Baker said.

“His heart needed more oxygen” because his coronary arteries had narrowed, he said.

The physical exertion and pain “triggered the stress hormones, the adrenaline made the heart beat faster for more oxygen,” but the heart was unable to keep up and gave up, he explained.

No traces of covid-19

Chauvin’s attorney, Eric Nelson, argues that his client did not cause Floyd’s death, who would have succumbed to an overdose combined with heart problems.

It is based on the presence of fentanyl, a potent opioid, and methamphetamine, a stimulant, discovered during the autopsy.

Consuming fentanyl can also cause oxygen deficiency by making it difficult to breathe, he noted.

Baker admitted that methamphetamine makes the heart beat faster, but added that a very small amount of the drug had been detected.

He also denied the thesis developed by the defense that Floyd was depressed after being infected by the coronavirus.

“His lungs had no sequelae from the covid”, he said.

The doctor confirmed that it was a homicide, that is, a figure that occurs, in medical terms, “when someone’s actions are involved in the death of an individual.”

Previously, jurors had looked at photographs of Floyd’s swollen face, shoulders and hands taken during the autopsy.

The victim’s brother, Rodney, remained impassive as he stared at one of these photos for a long time.

“It’s tough, it’s tough,” George Floyd’s sister Bridgett told The Shade Room news site.

But “when this trial is over and Derek (Chauvin) is found guilty, we will have obtained justice for all the families” who could not obtain it for their loved ones, he remarked.