The county medical examiner and independent forensic pathologists commissioned by Floyd’s family both released autopsy reports.
George Floyd, the Minnesota man who died after an officer arresting him pressed his knee onto his neck, died by homicide, according to the results of two autopsies released on Monday — one by the county medical examiner and the other by independent pathologists commissioned by Floyd’s family. But the two autopsy reports differed on exactly how the man died.
Dr. Allecia Wilson, one of the pathologists who conducted the independent autopsy, said Monday afternoon that Floyd died as a result of mechanical asphyxiation.
But the report released later Monday by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s office said Floyd died of «cardiopulmonary arrest complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint and neck compression.» The manner of death was ruled homicide, but the office noted that «is not a legal determination of culpability or intent.» A preliminary autopsy report cited earlier by prosecutors said the county medical examiner’s review «revealed no physical findings that support a diagnosis of traumatic asphyxia or strangulation.»
Floyd’s death has led to widespread outrage, protests and unrest across the nation. The Minneapolis officer seen kneeling on Floyd’s neck, Derek Chauvin, was charged last week with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
The independent autopsy was conducted by Wilson and Dr. Michael Baden. Baden is the former chief medical examiner of New York City, and was also hired in 2014 to conduct the autopsy of Eric Garner, a black man who died when an NYPD officer used a banned chokehold during his arrest. Both Garner and Floyd pleaded with officers that they couldn’t breathe before their deaths seen on disturbing videos, and «I can’t breathe» has become a rallying cry among those protesting police brutality.
