George Floyd Family Releases Independent Autopsy Results

George Floyd’s family has just released the results of their independent autopsy. According to Dr. Michael Baden and Dr. Allecia Wilson, who performed the independent autopsy, found that his death was a “homicide caused by asphyxia.” This was due to the knee on his neck, as well as the knees of two other officers who were also on top of him.

On Friday, a preliminary autopsy statement was issued by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner, explaining that while “no physical findings” supported “a diagnosis of traumatic asphyxia or strangulation,” it was believed that being restrained by Minneapolis Police during his arrest “likely contributed” to Floyd’s death. The statement also cited personal health issues such as coronary artery disease and hypertensive heart disease as possible contributing factors. It also pointed to “potential intoxicants,” but did not reveal if tests determined that Floyd was found to have drugs or alcohol in his system at the time of his death.

Floyd’s death sparked mass outcry from citizens all over the nation after video of his arrest went viral. Former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin was seen kneeling on Floyd’s neck while Floyd cried out that he could not breathe, and that he was in pain. Eventually, Floyd became unresponsive and was later pronounced dead. Chauvin was fired from the force, along with three other arresting officers. He has since been arrested and charged with murder.

Floyd’s family hired attorney Benjamin Crump to represent the case, and in a previous statement, Crump compared what happened to Floyd to other cases that have emerged over the years. “We saw in the Eric Garner case and so many other cases where they have these people who work with the city come up with things that are such an illusion.” Crump then explained that Floyd’s family intended to “have their own autopsy,” as they were “not going to rely on this DA or this city to tell us the truth.” Crump added, “We already saw the truth.”

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey previously spoke out against Floyd’s death, saying that he believes Floyd would “be alive today if he were white.” He added, “I’m not a prosecutor, but let me be clear, the arresting officer killed someone.” In a separate press conference, Frey said, “For the better part of the night, I’ve been trying to find the words to describe what happened, and all I keep coming back to is that he should not have died.” He later added, “This man’s life matters, he matters. He was someone’s son, someone’s family member, someone’s friend. He was a human being and his life mattered.”