Derek Chauvin, the white Minneapolis police officer who knelt over George Floyd's neck minutes before his death, was charged with murder on Friday, May 29. According to the criminal complaint, an autopsy revealed no evidence to support strangulation as the cause of death.
"The autopsy revealed no physical findings that support a diagnosis of traumatic asphyxia or strangulation," the statement reads, before pointing out that Floyd's death was brought on by a combination of an underlying heart disease, police restraint and alcohol in his system.
"Mr. Floyd had underlying health conditions including coronary artery disease and hypertensive heart disease. The combined effects of Mr. Floyd being restrained by police, his underlying health conditions and any potential intoxicants in his system likely contributed to his death."
The autopsy report comes amid widespread protests and unrest in Minneapolis as anger over Floyd's death intensifies, prompting Governor Tim Walz to ask the US National Guard to step in and declared a state of emergency in Minneapolis, as previously reported by International Business Times.
Doctors Say Autopsy Report is Manipulated
Many doctors and medical professionals have since taken to social media to question the medical examiner's findings with some claiming the report has been rigged or manipulated.
"As a doctor who watched the horrifying video, I can safely say that Hennepin County Medical Examiner's autopsy report that heart disease, hypertension, and most outrageously "potential intoxicants" caused George Floyd's death is so profoundly, and respectfully, quite bullshit," tweeted Eugene Gu, a Stanford-trained doctor.
She also pointed out that there is video evidence to support that Floyd was suffocated by Chauvin with his knee over his neck as he repeatedly said the words, "I can't breathe."
"You don't need to have evidence of trauma to the airway to believe that a knee to the neck killed this man. We all literally saw it. And for a medical doctor to ignore the actual most important piece of evidence, the video, to cover up for the police is pure evil."
"As a trauma surgeon, & surveyor of trauma centers across the country for verification, I have read a LOT of autopsy reports," wrote Dr. Sharmila Dissanaike. "I have never seen a coroner make statements like these."
"The autopsy report makes no sense," said Dr. E. Wesley Ely.
Independent Autopsy
Ben Crump and S. Lee Merritt, attorneys for Floyd's family, announced at a press conference on Friday that they will have Dr. Michael Baden, a renowned forensic pathologist, conduct an independent autopsy instead of the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's office.
"We saw in the Eric Garner case, and so many other cases where they have people who work with the city workers come up with things that are such an illusion -- he had asthma, he had a heart condition -- all these things that are irrelevant when they were living, breathing, walking, talking, just fine until the police accosted them," Crump said in his statement.
