Independent autopsy finds George Floyd’s death a homicide due to ‘asphyxiation from sustained forceful pressure

An independent autopsy found that George Floyd’s death was a homicide and he died of “asphyxiation from sustained forceful pressure.”

George Floyd autopsy 

The autopsy says compression to Floyd’s neck and back led to a lack of blood flow to his brain.

Floyd was essentially “dead on the scene” in Minneapolis on May 25, said Ben Crump, attorney for the Floyd family.

Multiple videos of Floyd’s death show former police officer Derek Chauvin’s knee on Floyd’s neck, along with other officers kneeling on his back.

“The ambulance was his hearse,” Crump told reporters Monday. “George died because he needed a breath. He needed a breath of air.”

Contributory factors 

Chauvin had his knee on Floyd’s neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds in total and two minutes and 53 seconds after Floyd was unresponsive, according to a criminal complaint released by the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.

“There is no other health issue that could cause or contribute to the death,” said Dr. Michael Baden, one of the independent medical examiners.

“Police have this false impression that if you can talk, you can breathe. That’s not true.”

“The independent examiners found that weight on the back, handcuffs, and positioning were contributory factors because they impaired the ability of Mr. Floyd’s diaphragm to function,” read a statement released by Floyd’s attorney Benjamin Crump.