Derek Chauvin trial: George Floyd’s coroner says police restraint ‘more than he could take’

Police killed George Floyd when they handcuffed him on the ground and kneeled on his neck for more than nine minutes, cutting off his oxygen supply, according to a pathologist who testified in the Derek Chauvin trial on Friday.

That’s according to Dr Lindsey Thomas, a Minnesota-based pathologist, the third expert in the trial so far to reach that conclusion.

“His chest is sort of compressed in this position in such a way that he can’t adequately expand and get enough oxygen in,” she said.

As police continued kneeling on Mr Floyd, Dr Thomas says air eventually stops getting to his brain and he has an involuntary body twitch from lack of air, known as an anoxic reaction.

“It’s something that the body does when the brain no longer has enough oxygen,” she said. “That’s the point at which you can tell by looking, that’s where he no longer is getting oxygen to his brain. Then the restraint and subdual and compression continue for many minutes more, even after someone checks and says there’s no pulse they maintain the position. At that point his heart has also stopped.”

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Dr Lindsey Thomas, a forensic pathologist, has also ruled out the defence’s main arguments that Mr Floyd died from an underlying cardiac problem or a fentanyl overdose.

She explained that heart problems on their own usually come quickly, while opioid overdoses move gradually, with people becoming woozy or sleepy before slowly passing out and dying. Neither scenario, the pathologist said, matched the continued struggle between Mr Floyd and officers caught on numerous videos.

“The bystander videos are really instructive, as well as the surveillance videos from the scene, at showing him during the time of the restraint,” she said. “There has never been a case that I’ve been involved with that had videos of such a long timeframe, and from so many angles,” she added.

Jurors are examining photos showing the injuries on George Floyd’s body discovered during his autopsy, including scrapes on his face, knuckles, wrists, and shoulder, from his struggle with officers.

They’re extremely graphic, and the court has decided not to broadcast them to the public during the live feed of the trial.

Today marks the first time Derek Chauvin had a member of the public sit in and watch the trial as his guest, according to pool notes.

Dr Lindsey Thomas, a forensic pathologist, is back on the stand after the trial took a 20 minute break.

She’s explaining what exactly it means when coroners rule a death a homicide: that the primary fact of death is that one person is responsible for killing someone else.

“Although there may not have been intent to kill the victim, victim died because of the harmful, intentional, volitional act,” she said, quoting from a manual.

Last summer, the Hennepin County Medical Examiner ruled George Floyd’s death a homicide. He’s expected to testify later today to further explain his findings.

Defence attorney Eric Nelson is suggesting that because George Floyd’s body didn’t show signs of bruising, he may not have been smothered to death.

“Along Mr Floyd’s back, there’s no long bruise consistent with a shin bone. There’s no more circular bruise consistent with a knee cap,” Mr Nelson said. “Ultimately what increases the likelihood of seeing a bruise is the amount of force applied,” he added.

But multiple medical experts have testified so far that even in fatal cases, someone times people who are strangled don’t show signs of bruising.

The trial is on lunch break and will be back in about an hour. Stay tuned for the expected testimony of Dr Andrew Baker, the Hennepin County medical examiner, who performed the autopsy on George Floyd and declared his death a homicide.

So far, most all of the medical experts to have testified were speaking from their clinical experience, rather than direct work with Mr Floyd himself.

Up next is Dr Andrew Baker, the county medical examiner who autopsied George Floyd. He is perhaps the trial’s most important witness so far.

The jury is now examining handouts containing photos of George Floyd’s autopsy. Due to their graphic and confidential nature, they aren’t being broadcast publicly.

Dr Andrew Baker, the county medical examiner who autopsied Mr Floyd, said he tries to take such thorough photos another pathologist could reach the same conclusions he did if they encountered the same evidence.