Charles Davis | Business Insider*
George Floyd’s health and drug use did not cause his death, a medical examiner testified Friday.
In this image from video, Dr. Andrew Baker, Hennepin County Medical Examiner, testifies as Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill presides Friday, April 9, 2021, in the trial of former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin at the Hennepin County Courthouse in Minneapolis, Minn. Chauvin is charged in the May 25, 2020 death of George Floyd. Court TV via AP, Pool
George Floyd was a healthy 46-year-old man before he died in 2020 during a police encounter in Minneapolis, according to the doctor who performed Floyd’s autopsy. And while drug use and preexisting medical conditions may have contributed to his death, it was the encounter with law enforcement that caused it.
“To the best of my knowledge, he was generally healthy on May 25, before the events of that evening,” Dr. Andrew Baker, Hennepin County Chief Medical Examiner, testified Friday during the murder trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin.
Chauvin, who is white, was fired after video captured him placing his knee on Floyd’s neck, an unarmed Black man, for more than nine minutes, despite pleas from Floyd and bystanders to stop. “I can’t breathe,” Floyd said. He was later pronounced dead due to a lack of oxygen.
The former Minneapolis cop is on trial for second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter charges. His defense team has argued Chauvin was merely following department policy – a claim disputed by police – and that Floyd’s drug use contributed to his death.
During his autopsy, Baker said he did not discover any visible damage to Floyd’s heart or brain. And while the examination did reveal that Floyd had COVID-19, it did not uncover any damage to his lungs that would suggest it contributed to his death.
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