An independent autopsy has revealed that George Floyd died from asphyxia – lack of oxygen, causing unconsciousness or death; suffocation
The autopsy further revealed that the weight on Floyd’s back, the handcuffs and the positioning hugely contributed to his death because it weakened the ability of Floyd’s diaphragm to function.
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“The cause of death in my opinion is asphyxia, due to compression to the neck – which can interfere with oxygen going to the brain – and compression to the back, which interferes with breathing,” Dr Michael Baden, a former New York City medical examiner said at a news conference.
Dr Baden also said that the deceased was in good health before his death further saying that the video of his death showed the compression of his neck and back very clearly.
“When he said ‘I can’t breathe,’ unfortunately, many police are under impression that if you can talk that means you’re breathing. That is not true,” he said.
Floyd’s family lawyer, Benjamin Crump said that Floyd would be alive if the officers didn’t kneel on his neck and putting him in a position where he couldn’t breathe.
“Beyond doubt he would be alive today if not for the pressure applied to his neck by officer Derek Chauvin and the strain on his body by two other officers,” he said.
“The ambulance was his hearse,” he added.
The new findings contradict an initial finding conducted by Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s office.
The county medical examiner’s autopsy concluded that Floyd’s death was a homicide caused by a cardiopulmonary arrest while being restrained by police officers.
Floyd’s death has led to six consecutive days of protests around the United States.
It was also noted that the level of civil unrest witnessed in the ongoing protests has not been seen this widely across the country in decades.
On Sunday, peaceful demonstrations in many cities across the US turned violent with clashes erupting between police and protesters.
The clash saw police cars burnt, buildings torched and shops looted in several places.
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Dozens of cities imposed curfews but they were defied by the angry protestors.
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