Did George Floyd die from a drug overdose?
George Floyd’s autopsy report concludes that his death was caused by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on his neck, not an overdose.
The case title of Floyd’s Hennepin County Medical Examiner Office’s report reads, “Cardiopulmonary arrest complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression.”
The examination did find fentanyl and other drugs in Floyd’s system along with a history of heart disease. However, multiple doctors testified that these factors were not to blame.
Dr. Lindsey Thomas stated, “The primary mechanism of death is asphyxia, or low oxygen.”
Dr. Martin Tobin added that “a healthy person” would have died from “what Mr. Floyd was subjected to.”
Chauvin pinned Floyd’s neck to the ground for at least nine minutes as Floyd repeated, “I can’t breathe.”
Chauvin was found guilty in 2021 of second-degree murder and sentenced to 22-and-a-half years in prison. His conviction was upheld in 2023.
