Tuesday, June 2, 2020

Did drugs play a part in the killing?



The Hennepin County medical examiner said that George Floyd had recently used methamphetamine when he died, and also found "fentanyl intoxication."


The findings are likely to further enflame the protests and riots about the death of Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers on May 25. Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who was videotaped kneeling on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes, was charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter.
The updated report was released on Monday and quickly circulated on social media.
The medical examiner concluded that the cause of death was "a heart attack from subdural restraint and neck compression."
The report added that significant conditions included "fentanyl intoxication" and "recent methamphetamine use," in addition to "Arteriosclerotic and hypertensive heart disease."
While the report listed the death as a homicide, the medical examiner made sure to distinguish between the medical conclusion and that of a legal determination.



Earlier on Monday, the attorney for the family told reporters at a media briefing that their independent autopsy found the cause of death to be "asphyxiation from sustained pressure."
Protests and rioting rocked the nation throughout the weekend, with many businesses looted or set on fire in major U.S. cities. 

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