An autopsy commissioned by the family of George Floyd found that Floyds death last week was caused by asphyxiation when a Mi
An autopsy commissioned by the family of George Floyd found that Floyd’s death last week was caused by asphyxiation when a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for several minutes.
Floyd, a 46-year-old African American man, died last week while in handcuffs after being pinned down by a white officer, Derek Chauvin. His death, captured on video, has sparked chaotic demonstrations in dozens of American cities, some of which have turned violent. Chauvin has been charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter in the case.
The family’s autopsy report found Floyd’s neck and back were compressed, leading to asphyxiation.
The family-appointed medical examiner, Michael Baden, said no underlying medical conditions caused or contributed to Floyd’s death.
The report comes after preliminary findings from the Hennepin County Medical Examiner found „no physical findings“ to „support a diagnosis of traumatic asphyxia or strangulation.“ The county report found that Floyd’s death was the combined result of being restrained by police as well as underlying health conditions and any potential intoxicants in his system.
Earlier Monday, U. S. President Donald Trump lambasted the nation’s governors as „weak,“ demanding they crack down on protesters and arrest them after six nights of sometimes violent demonstrations in dozens of American cities in the wake of Floyd’s death.
The U. S. leader told the governors in a video conference that they „have to get much tougher“ with demonstrators after watching as Sunday night protests that often started peacefully devolved into clashes with police and other authorities clad in riot gear.
Police in several cities fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters to disperse them, while some demonstrators torched police cars and also ransacked and looted stores.
„Most of you are weak,“ Trump told the governors. „You’ve got to arrest people, you have to track people, you have to put them in jail for 10 years and you’ll never see this stuff again.“
One of the protests unfolded just across the street from the White House in Washington where Trump has his residence.
But protester clashes with police unfolded from coast to coast, perhaps the country’s most widespread uprising since the extended unrest spawned by opposition to the Vietnam war in the 1960s.
Floyd’s brother, Terrence, pleaded with protesters Monday not to use violence, saying it is „not going to bring my brother back at all.
