Another expert testifies that lack of oxygen, not drugs, killed George Floyd

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Warning: This video could comprise violent and/or disturbing pictures with robust language. Viewer discretion is suggested.George Floyd died of a scarcity of oxygen from the best way he was held down by police, a retired forensic pathologist testified Friday at former Officer Derek Chauvin’s homicide trial.The testimony of Lindsey Thomas, who retired in 2017 from the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s workplace in Minneapolis, bolstered the findings of different specialists on Thursday who rejected the protection principle that Floyd’s drug use and underlying well being issues killed him.Thomas didn’t work on Floyd’s case however agreed together with her former colleague Hennepin County Medical Examiner Andrew Baker that Floyd died from cardiopulmonary arrest difficult by the best way regulation enforcement restrained him and compressed his neck.However she went additional in saying “the first mechanism of demise is asphyxia, or low oxygen.””This can be a demise the place each the center and lungs stopped working. The purpose is, it is as a result of regulation enforcement subdual, restraint and compression,” Thomas stated. “The actions of the regulation enforcement officers resulted in Mr. Floyd’s demise.”Thomas stated she reached her conclusion primarily from the video, which confirmed Floyd “ready the place he was unable to adequately breathe.”The post-mortem itself dominated out coronary heart assault, aneurysm, COVID-19 and different elements, and Thomas stated it was not a drug overdose demise, both.“There isn’t any proof to counsel he would have died that night time apart from the interactions with regulation enforcement,” she stated.Baker was anticipated to testify later.Thomas’ testimony got here a day after different medical specialists additionally stated Floyd died of a scarcity of oxygen.”A wholesome particular person subjected to what Mr. Floyd was subjected to would have died,” prosecution witness Dr. Martin Tobin, a lung and important care specialist on the Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital and Loyola College’s medical college in Illinois, testified Thursday.Tobin stated the dearth of oxygen resulted in mind injury and brought on Floyd’s coronary heart to cease.Chauvin, 45, is charged with homicide and manslaughter in Floyd’s demise Could 25 after kneeling on him for what prosecutors say was 9 1/2 minutes. Floyd was arrested exterior a neighborhood market after being accused of attempting to move a counterfeit $20 invoice.Bystander video of Floyd crying that he couldn’t breathe as onlookers yelled on the white officer to get off him sparked protests and scattered violence round the usChauvin lawyer Eric Nelson has argued that Chauvin did what he was skilled to do and that Floyd’s demise was attributable to unlawful medication and underlying medical issues, together with hypertension and coronary heart illness. An post-mortem discovered fentanyl and methamphetamine in his system.Floyd’s demise certificates listed different contributing situations: narrowed arteries, hypertension, fentanyl intoxication and up to date methamphetamine use. However Thomas stated that they didn’t straight trigger his demise and that such elements are generally included on demise certificates to tell public well being officers.As an alternative, Floyd died as a result of the place of his physique — mendacity on his abdomen, his arms cuffed behind his again and officers urgent their physique weight into him — made it unimaginable to breathe, stated Thomas, who known as Floyd’s demise “so well-documented” due to intensive video proof.On Thursday, Tobin used easy-to-understand language and even loosened his tie to clarify medical ideas, telling the jury that Floyd’s respiratory was severely constricted whereas Chauvin and two different Minneapolis officers held the 46-year-old Black man down.Tobin, analyzing pictures of the three officers restraining Floyd for what prosecutors say was nearly 9 1/2 minutes, testified that Chauvin’s knee was “just about on the neck” greater than 90% of the time.He stated a number of different elements additionally made it troublesome for Floyd to breathe: officers lifting up on the suspect’s handcuffs, the laborious pavement, his inclined place, his turned head and a knee on his again.Tobin additionally testified that simply because Floyd was speaking and might be seen transferring on video doesn’t imply he was respiratory adequately. He stated a leg motion seen within the footage was an involuntary signal of a deadly mind damage, and that an individual can proceed to talk till the airway narrows to fifteen%, after which “you might be in serious trouble.”Officers might be heard on video telling Floyd that if he can speak, he can breathe.___Find AP’s full protection of the demise of George Floyd at: https://apnews.com/hub/death-of-george-floyd___Webber reported from Fenton, Michigan.

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Warning: This video could comprise violent and/or disturbing pictures with robust language. Viewer discretion is suggested.

George Floyd died of a scarcity of oxygen from the best way he was held down by police, a retired forensic pathologist testified Friday at former Officer Derek Chauvin’s homicide trial.

The testimony of Lindsey Thomas, who retired in 2017 from the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s workplace in Minneapolis, bolstered the findings of different specialists on Thursday who rejected the protection principle that Floyd’s drug use and underlying well being issues killed him.

Thomas didn’t work on Floyd’s case however agreed together with her former colleague Hennepin County Medical Examiner Andrew Baker that Floyd died from cardiopulmonary arrest difficult by the best way regulation enforcement restrained him and compressed his neck.

However she went additional in saying “the first mechanism of demise is asphyxia, or low oxygen.”

“This can be a demise the place each the center and lungs stopped working. The purpose is, it is as a result of regulation enforcement subdual, restraint and compression,” Thomas stated. “The actions of the regulation enforcement officers resulted in Mr. Floyd’s demise.”

Thomas stated she reached her conclusion primarily from the video, which confirmed Floyd “ready the place he was unable to adequately breathe.”

The post-mortem itself dominated out coronary heart assault, aneurysm, COVID-19 and different elements, and Thomas stated it was not a drug overdose demise, both.

“There isn’t any proof to counsel he would have died that night time apart from the interactions with regulation enforcement,” she stated.

Baker was anticipated to testify later.

Thomas’ testimony got here a day after different medical specialists additionally stated Floyd died of a scarcity of oxygen.

“A wholesome particular person subjected to what Mr. Floyd was subjected to would have died,” prosecution witness Dr. Martin Tobin, a lung and important care specialist on the Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital and Loyola College’s medical college in Illinois, testified Thursday.

Tobin stated the dearth of oxygen resulted in mind injury and brought on Floyd’s coronary heart to cease.

Chauvin, 45, is charged with homicide and manslaughter in Floyd’s demise Could 25 after kneeling on him for what prosecutors say was 9 1/2 minutes. Floyd was arrested exterior a neighborhood market after being accused of attempting to move a counterfeit $20 invoice.

Bystander video of Floyd crying that he couldn’t breathe as onlookers yelled on the white officer to get off him sparked protests and scattered violence across the U.S.

Chauvin lawyer Eric Nelson has argued that Chauvin did what he was skilled to do and that Floyd’s demise was attributable to unlawful medication and underlying medical issues, together with hypertension and coronary heart illness. An post-mortem discovered fentanyl and methamphetamine in his system.

Floyd’s demise certificates listed different contributing situations: narrowed arteries, hypertension, fentanyl intoxication and up to date methamphetamine use. However Thomas stated that they didn’t straight trigger his demise and that such elements are generally included on demise certificates to tell public well being officers.

As an alternative, Floyd died as a result of the place of his physique — mendacity on his abdomen, his arms cuffed behind his again and officers urgent their physique weight into him — made it unimaginable to breathe, stated Thomas, who known as Floyd’s demise “so well-documented” due to intensive video proof.

On Thursday, Tobin used easy-to-understand language and even loosened his tie to clarify medical ideas, telling the jury that Floyd’s respiratory was severely constricted whereas Chauvin and two different Minneapolis officers held the 46-year-old Black man down.

Tobin, analyzing pictures of the three officers restraining Floyd for what prosecutors say was nearly 9 1/2 minutes, testified that Chauvin’s knee was “just about on the neck” greater than 90% of the time.

He stated a number of different elements additionally made it troublesome for Floyd to breathe: officers lifting up on the suspect’s handcuffs, the laborious pavement, his inclined place, his turned head and a knee on his again.

Tobin additionally testified that simply because Floyd was speaking and might be seen transferring on video doesn’t imply he was respiratory adequately. He stated a leg motion seen within the footage was an involuntary signal of a deadly mind damage, and that an individual can proceed to talk till the airway narrows to fifteen%, after which “you might be in serious trouble.”

Officers might be heard on video telling Floyd that if he can speak, he can breathe.

___

Discover AP’s full protection of the demise of George Floyd at: https://apnews.com/hub/death-of-george-floyd

___

Webber reported from Fenton, Michigan.

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