George Floyd’s Official Manner and Cause of Death Released by Medical Examiner

The official results of George Floyd‘s death have been released by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner in Minneapolis. Floyd was killed while in police custody on May 25 after arresting officer Derek Chauvin placed his knee on the back of his neck for nearly nine minutes.

Floyd’s official cause of death was ruled to be “cardiopulmonary arrest complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint and neck compression,” and is officially considered a homicide. It also noted that the 46-year-old experienced a cardiopulmonary arrest while being restrained by police. Floyd did have significant conditions, which had been previously noted by the medical examiner, which included hypertensive heart disease, fentanyl intoxication and recent methamphetamine use. The initial report following his autopsy on Thursday was released on Friday painted a slightly different picture, which cited Floyd’s “underlying health conditions” as well as “any potential intoxicants in his system.”

After the autopsy reports were made public, which didn’t go over terribly well, the Medical Examiner’s office also released a statement that indicated they were “awaiting final results from laboratory studies to provide the most medically accurate cause of death determination possible.” It also stated that “the autopsy alone cannot answer all questions germane to the cause and manner of death, and must be interpreted in the context of the pertinent investigative information and informed by the results of laboratory studies.”

Following the autopsy results, Floyd’s family stated they were unhappy with the findings and were in the process of seeking a second autopsy. Attorney Benjamin Crump said that “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.” In addition to a second autopsy, Crump added they were “not going to rely on this DA or this city to tell us the truth.” He also referenced the now-viral videos that led to the outcry over Floyd’s death, telling reporters that “We already saw the truth.”

Reaction to Floyd’s death has caused countless protests to take place in major (and minor) cities across the U.S., which informally began on Thursday and continued throughout the weekend. All four officers involved in the arrest had been fired from the Minneapolis police force on Tuesday, while Chauvin was arrested on third-degree murder and manslaughter charges on Friday. As of Monday, the other three officers have not been brought in on charges.