Coroner calls George Floyd's death a "homicide"

The Minneapolis Medical Examiner's Office has released the results of its investigation and has declared George Floyd's cause of death to be "cardiopulmonary arrest due to physical restraint and pressure on the neck." Thus, Floyd's death is considered a homicide.

As unrest continues to protest the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, in Minneapolis, USA, the results of an independent autopsy and forensic investigation have been announced.

Reuters reported early Tuesday (June 2) that an independent autopsy conducted in connection with the death of George Floyd at the request of his family confirmed that he "suffocated" during a police operation last week.

Dr. Alecia Wilson of the University of Michigan, one of the two doctors who performed the autopsy, said: "The evidence establishes that physical asphyxiation was the cause of George Floyd's violent death."

Doctors during the autopsy also concluded that Floyd "did not have any specific medical conditions that contributed to his death and that it was the pressure of the police officers' knees that caused his death."

The results of this autopsy differ from the official police autopsy conducted last week, which said Floyd died from stress, pre-existing conditions and possible alcohol poisoning, and found no evidence of death by asphyxiation.

According to Floyd's family lawyer, the asphyxiation occurred not only as a result of the knee pressure of Derek Chauvin, a former police officer and accused of Floyd's murder, on Floyd's neck, but also as a result of the knees of two other officers on Floyd's back and waist, which prevented blood from reaching the victim's brain.

Derek Chauvin, who is currently in custody, pressed his knee on Floyd's neck for nine minutes, ignoring Floyd's pleas for help as he struggled to breathe. Floyd died a short time later in hospital.

In light of the assessment of this independent autopsy, Floyd's family lawyer has called for not only Derek Chauvin, but also other officers involved in this deadly incident to be prosecuted.

Currently, the other officers involved in the incident have only been removed from their posts, and only Chauvin remains in custody.

George Floyd was arrested after a store owner accused him of paying with a counterfeit $20 bill.

Meanwhile, the Minneapolis Medical Examiner's Office has also announced that George Floyd's death was a "murder" as part of its investigation.

Of course, the medical examiner's report also stated that Floyd suffered from heart problems and complications from using drugs such as fentanyl and methamphetamine.

America has been witnessing widespread anti-racism protests for a week now, which have been accompanied by violence.

On Monday, June 1, during a speech at the White House, US President Donald Trump called the unrest "domestic terrorism" and called on state governors to take a more decisive and strict approach.

Trump called himself the “law and order president” and threatened that if city and state officials did not take the necessary action, he would deploy the military and “quickly solve the problem for the authorities.”

Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, the Democratic leaders in the US House of Representatives and Senate, also criticized Trump, stating that he is "fueling division and violence in this country."

Police statements, Twitter messages, and media reports indicate that at least 5,600 people have been deported since the unrest began last Tuesday.

Source: DW