George Floyd died of 'asphyxiation from sustained pressure' being applied to his neck and back by Officer Derek Chauvin and two other officers, an independent autopsy ordered by his family has found.
Attorney Ben Crump and co-counsel Antonio Romanucci, who are representing the family of George Floyd, announced the findings on Monday afternoon.
Dr. Michael Baden and Dr. Allecia Wilson were hired by the Floyd family to conduct the independent autopsy after the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office ruled last week that Floyd hadn’t died from 'strangulation or asphyxia'.
In contradiction, Baden and Wilson say the sustained pressure applied by the knee of Derek Chauvin on George Floyd's neck cut off blood flow to the 46-year-old's brain. They also said the weight applied by two other officers, who had placed their knees into Floyd's back, had restricted his ability to breathe.
'The evidence is consistent with mechanical asphyxia as the cause of death and homicide as the manner of death,' Dr. Wilson said.
Crump and Romanucci called for Chauvin to be charged with first-degree murder following the discovery, and also said the other three officers involved in the incident - J Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao - should be arrested as well, though didn't specify on what charges.
A private autopsy ordered by the family of George Floyd has found that he was killed by asphyxia due to 'neck and back compression that led to a lack of blood flow to the brain'
Derek Chauvin, a 44-year-old white cop who has since been arrested, was seen in footage kneeling on Floyd's neck for eight minutes as the victim repeatedly said he could not breathe (incident pictured)
'They knew that they were applying restraints that could or would cause death,' Romanucci said. 'They are criminally liable because they knew what they were doing could lead to death.'
'Not only was the knee on George’s neck a cause of his death, but so was the weight of the other two police officers on his back, who not only prevented blood flow into his brain but also air flow into his lungs,' he continued.
The findings of Baden and Wilson greatly differ from the ruling of an autopsy conducted by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's office on Floyd last week.
Their independent evaluation also found that Floyd had 'no underlying medical problems that caused or contributed to his death,' contrary to the rulings of the medical examiner.
'This is confirmed by information from myself, from Dr. Wilson, and from the family,' Baden said. '[Mr. Floyd] was in good health.'
The county's autopsy found ‘no physical findings that support a diagnosis of traumatic asphyxia or strangulation.' The report also said Floyd had underlying health conditions, including coronary artery disease and hypertensive heart disease.
In conclusion, the examiner suggested Floyd likely died from a combination of his underlying health conditions and potential intoxicants in his system that were exacerbated by the restraint placed on him by police officers.
Baden criticized those findings Monday, pointing out that the emphasis the pressure on his neck may have had on his death wouldn't show up in an autopsy because the pressure was released by the time his body had arrived at the examiner's office.
'The compressive pressure on the neck are not seen at autopsy because the pressure is released by the time the body has come to the medical office,' Baden said. 'It can only be seen when the pressure is being applied – or in this instance in the video.'
He continued: 'Pressure on the neck can interfere with blood flow and oxygen going to the brain, and pressure to the back interferes with breathing.'
Baden also refuted the idea that Floyd had coronary artery disease. In a comment in reference to his age group's susceptibility to coronavirus, the 85-year-old quipped, 'I wish I had the same coronary arteries that Mr. Floyd had.'
Dr. Baden (left) and Dr. Wilson (right) say the sustained pressure applied by Derek Chauvin on George Floyd's neck impeded blood flow to his brain, while weight applied by two other officers, who had placed their knees into his back, also limited his ability to breathe
George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, died on Memorial Day as he was arrested by four police officers over allegedly trying to buy cigarettes with a counterfeit $20 bill. He was seen in a video pleading that he couldn't breathe as white officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee against his neck
Chauvin was arrested and charged last Friday over the death of George Floyd
Floyd, 46, died in Minneapolis police custody on Memorial Day after being restrained by officer Derek Chauvin, who had pinned him to the ground and kneeled on his neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds, ignoring his repeated cries of ‘I can’t breathe.’
He became unresponsive after four minutes, yet Chauvin continued to apply pressure to his neck.
'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,' Crump said.
Baden addressed the fact that Floyd repeatedly said, 'I can’t breathe' as Chauvin knelt on his neck.
'Many police officers are under the impression that if you can talk, then you can breath. And that's not true,' Baden said. 'So the concept of someone calling out "I can't breathe" - whether that be Mr. Floyd, or Eric Garner - should be taken seriously.'
Baden said that Floyd didn't respond to the paramedic's attempts at CPR or a cardiac shock in the ambulance while he was being transported to hospital. He said he was essentially 'dead at the scene'.
'The ambulance was his hearse,' Crump added during the Monday afternoon news conference. 'George died because he needed a breath 'I implore all of us to take a breath for justice, to take a breath for peace, to take a breath for our country and to take a breath for George.
'For Chauvin to leave his knee on George’s neck despite warnings and evidence that his life was in danger — and to continue that course for many minutes — demands a first-degree murder charge,' Crump continued.
A criminal complaint was filed against Chauvin Friday in which he was charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter.
Crump called for Chauvin to be charged with first-degree murder, and also said the other three officers involved in the incident - J Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao - should be arrested as well, though didn't specify on what charges
Terrence Floyd (shown on June 1), brother of George Floyd, reacts to a makeshift memorial honouring George Floyd, at the spot where he was taken into custody last week
Floyd's family had disputed the county medical examiner's findings last week, calling notions he had any underlying health conditions 'an illusion'
Floyd's family had disputed the county medical examiner's findings last week, calling notions he had any underlying health conditions 'an illusion'.
‘The family and I reject this notion from the Minneapolis Medical Examiner that the knee from the police officer on George’s neck for almost nine minutes was not the proximate cause of his death,’ the Floyd family’s lawyer, Ben Crump said in a statement over the weekend.
‘The family does not trust anything coming from the Minneapolis Police Department. How can they?' attorney Ben Crump said. 'We already saw the truth.'
Crump and S. Lee Merritt revealed in a press conference Friday that they had called on renowned forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Baden to conduct an independent autopsy instead of the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's office.
Dr. Baden previously conducted a separate autopsy on Eric Garner, whose death in 2014 while being placed in an unauthorized chokehold by NYPD Officer Daniel Panteleo was also captured on video. Panteleo wasn't criminally charged but was fired from the police force in 2019.
Dr. Baden also previously conducted an autopsy on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein that suggested he may have been murdered, in addition to testifying at the OJ Simpson murder trial.
George Floyd’s younger brother, Terrence Floyd (above), appeared on Good Morning America on Monday, calling for the ‘destructive unity to end’
Terrence Floyd sits silently at the spot at the intersection of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue in honor of his late brother
On Sunday night, Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo said all four of the officer's involved in Floyd's arrest are 'complicit' in his death.
In the days since, protests erupted in Minneapolis before spreading to the White House, New York City and to numerous other states across the weekend.
Crump and Floyd's family have said people should continue protesting, but urged them to refrain from using violence or looting as George Floyd was 'a man of peace'.
George Floyd’s younger brother, Terrence Floyd, appeared on Good Morning America on Monday, calling for the ‘destructive unity to end’.
Terrence said his brother 'was about peace' and believes the violence happening during demonstrations is 'overshadowing' Floyd's memory.
Since last Thursday, authorities across the nation have arrested more than 4,100 people. At least three people have died since the protests began.
'They knew that they were applying restraints that could or would cause death,' Romanucci said. 'They are criminally liable because they knew what they were doing could lead to death.' 'Not only was the knee on George’s neck a cause of his death, but so was the weight of the other two police officers on his back, who not only prevented blood flow into his brain but also air flow into his lungs'
When asked what he thought about the violence at the protests, Terrence told GMA: 'I do feel like it's overshadowing what's going on. Like I said he [Floyd] was about peace. He was about unity. But the things that's transpiring now... they may call it unity but it's destructive unity.
'That's not what my brother was about,' Terrence added. 'It's OK to be angry, but channel your anger to do something positive or make a change another way because we've been down this road already.
'The anger, damaging your hometown is not the way he'd want,' he added.
Former President Barack Obama also condemned the violent fallout Monday, urging activists to channel their anger into ‘peaceful, sustained, and effective action’ to help bring about real change.
‘Let's not excuse violence, or rationalize it, or participate in it,’ Obama wrote, declaring his support for those protesting peacefully. ‘If we want our criminal justice system, and American society at large, to operate on a higher ethical code, then we have to model that code ourselves.’
George Floyd’s funeral will be held in Houston, Texas, on June 9 — after a public viewing the night before, his family’s lawyer said Monday.
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