Court documents filed in the case of four US police offers charged in relation to the death of George Floyd show that the Hennepin County Medical Examiner thought George Floyd’s fentanyl levels were at a potentially “fatal level”.
Floyd’s death following his arrest by Minneapolis Police and the footage which showed a police officer restraining him by kneeling on his back has precipitated months of riots and social unrest in the United States and protests around the world, including in Ireland which are still ongoing.
The four police officers involved were quickly dismissed from the force and now stand trial for murder but following a request by an attorney representing one of the officers, Tou Thao, it has been revealed that a number of factors contributed to Floyd’s death.
The Armed Forces Medical Examiner filed a memorandum concurring with the conclusion of Hennepin County Medical Examiner that Floyd’s death was a homicide, saying,
“His death was caused by the police subdual and restraint in the setting of severe hypertensive atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, and methamphetamine and fentanyl intoxication.” Fox News reported.
However, two other memos filed shortly after Floyd’s death before the political backlash and rioting had begun suggested that his arrest was not a factor in his death with one filed the day after he died stating:
“The autopsy revealed no physical evidence suggesting that Mr. Floyd died of asphyxiation.” Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Andrew Baker told the attorney his investigation was incomplete pending a toxicology report, however.
It appears Floyd was already in danger of dying before his arrest from an overdose of fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid with similar effects as heroin, and methamphetamine.
The other memo, which was filed on June 1st , just as mass protests began, by the Attorney’s Office indicated Baker said Floyd’s level of fentanyl was “pretty high,” and a potentially “fatal level.”
“[Dr. Andrew Baker] said that if Mr. Floyd had been found dead in his home (or anywhere else) and there were no other contributing factors he would conclude that it was an overdose death,” the June 1st memo said.
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