Another expert says lack of oxygen, not drugs, killed Floyd
Poll
Yes
In this image taken from video, prosecutor Jerry Blackwell questions witness Dr. Bill Smock, a Louisville physician in forensic medicine, as Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill presides Thursday, April 8, 2021, in the trial of former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin at the Hennepin County Courthouse in Minneapolis, Minn. Chauvin is charged in the May 25, 2020 death of George Floyd. (Court TV via AP, Pool)
MINNEAPOLIS – George Floyd died of a lack of oxygen from the way he was held down by police, a retired forensic pathologist testified Friday at former Officer Derek Chauvin’s murder trial.
Print Associated Press
Warning: This live video may contain violent and/or disturbing images with strong language. Viewer discretion is advised.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) The chief county medical examiner who ruled George Floyd’s death a homicide testified Friday that the way police held him down and compressed his neck “was just more than Mr. Floyd could take,” given the condition of his heart.
Dr. Andrew Baker, the Hennepin County medical examiner, took the stand at the murder trial of former Officer Derek Chauvin for pressing his knee on or close to Floyd’s neck for what prosecutors said was as much as 9 1/2 minutes as the 46-year-old Black man lay pinned to the pavement last May.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images
On May 25, 2020, the world witnessed the final moments leading up to George Floyd’s death: Police officer Derek Chauvin pinned a handcuffed Floyd to the ground with his knee for more than nine minutes until he became unresponsive. The bystander video of
the incident, with Floyd muttering his last words, “I can’t breathe,” sparked racial justice protests around the globe. Now, nearly a year later, Chauvin is on trial facing charges of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter.
But despite what people saw, both virtually and in person last May, at the center of the trial is the question: What ultimately killed Floyd? The prosecution has argued that it was Chauvin’s knee, constricting Floyd’s neck and airway, that ultimately led to his death. Meanwhile, the defense has argued that it was Floyd’s history of drug use and underlying conditions that caused his death.
The Hennepin County Government Center in Minneapolis, where Derek Chauvin is on trial.AARON NESHEIM/NYT
Multiple medical experts this week testified that George Floyd died from a lack of oxygen due to the way he was held down by police.
The testimony from a retired forensic pathologist and a breathing expert during Derek Chauvinâs murder trial
are at odds with the defenseâs arguments that it was Floydâs drug use and other health problems that killed him, not Chauvinâs actions.
Chauvin, an ex-police officer, is on trial for murder and manslaughter after kneeling on Floydâs neck for what prosecutors said was more than nine minutes last May.
Medical examiner blames police pressure for Floyd s death
AMY FORLITI, STEVE KARNOWSKI and TAMMY WEBBER, Associated Press
April 9, 2021
FacebookTwitterEmail 14
1of14In this image from video, Dr. Andrew Baker, Hennepin County Medical Examiner, testifies as Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill presides Friday, April 9, 2021, in the trial of former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin at the Hennepin County Courthouse in Minneapolis, Minn. Chauvin is charged in the May 25, 2020 death of George Floyd. (Court TV via AP, Pool)APShow MoreShow Less
2of14In this image from video, defense attorney Eric Nelson, left, and defendant, former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin, right, listen as Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill presides Friday, April 9, 2021, in the trial of Chauvin at the Hennepin County Courthouse in Minneapolis, Minn. Chauvin is charged in the May 25, 2020 death of George Floyd. (Court TV via AP, Pool)APShow MoreShow Less