The preliminary results of George Floyd's autopsy suggest there were a number of factors that contributed to the 46-year-old's death. The report, conducted by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner, states there were "no physical findings that support a diagnosis of traumatic asphyxia or strangulation"; however, the combined effects of being pinned down by an officer as well as "his underlying health conditions and any potential intoxicants in his system likely contributed to his death."
The findings were included in the criminal complaint against Derek Chauvin, the former police officer who was filmed kneeling on Floyd's neck during an attempted arrest.
The report states Chauvin, who was arrested on third-degree murder and manslaughter charges Friday, kept his knee on Floyd's neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, and nearly 3 minutes after Floyd became unresponsive.
"Police are trained that this type of restraint with a subject in a prone position is inherently dangerous," the complaint read.
The findings were immediately met with skepticism across social media, with many dismissing the report as an attempt to change the narrative surrounding the investigation.
"The family does not trust anything coming from the Minneapolis Police Department. How can they?" the Floyd family's attorney Ben Crump said during a Friday news conference.
Crump confirmed the Floyd family hired former NYC medical examiner Dr. Michael Baden to conduct an independent autopsy. Baden, who has performed private autopsies on both Jeffrey Epstein and Michael Brown, is expected to share his findings sometime next week.
"We’re going to take custody back of George Floyd’s body, and we’re bringing in Dr. Michael Baden to perform an independent autopsy because we saw in the Eric Garner case and so many other cases where they have these people who work with the city come up with things that are such an illusion," Crump said. "They’re going to have their own autopsy. We’re not going to rely on this DA or this city to tell us the truth. We already saw the truth."
You can read some of the reactions to the preliminary autopsy report below.
This story is being updated.
