Derek Chauvin is on trial for George Floyd’s death

Hennepin County’s chief medical examiner and a forensic pathologist testified today in the trial of former officer Derek Chauvin.

They detailed what they found during the course of examining George Floyd’s death.

Here’s what they said today in court:

Dr. Andrew Baker, the Hennepin County chief medical examiner who performed Floyd’s autopsy, said he still classifies Floyd’s death as a homicide, and that his opinion remains unchanged. He told the court that Floyd’s heart disease and use of fentanyl were contributing factors to his death, but they were not the direct cause.

Asked about the autopsy and Floyd’s death certificate, Baker described the “top line of the cause of death” as “what you think is the most important thing that precipitated the death.”

“Other things that you think played a role in the death but were not direct causes get relegated to what’s known as the ‘other significant conditions’ part of the death certificate,” he said. “For example, you know, Mr. Floyd’s use of fentanyl did not cause the subdual or neck restraint. His heart disease did not cause the subdual or the neck restraint.”

Chauvin’s defense attorney, Eric Nelson, has argued that Floyd died as a result of drugs and preexisting health conditions. And under cross examination, Baker said he believed those factors played a role. But Baker reiterated he stood by the cause of death he wrote on Floyd’s death certificate and his finding that Floyd’s death was a homicide, which to a medical examiner means his death was caused by another person and does not necessarily indicate guilt.

Forensic pathologist Dr. Lindsey Thomas, who has worked as a medical examiner herself, including in the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office, and who was part of Baker’s training, agreed with Baker’s finding in the cause of death, adding she believed the “primary mechanism of death is asphyxia or low oxygen.”

Because of the restraint and his position, she said, Floyd was “unable to get enough oxygen in” to support his body’s functions.

Thomas explained the technical wording of the medical examiner’s finding in the cause of death, saying, “What it means to me is that the activities of the law enforcement officers resulted in Mr. Floyd’s death. And that specifically those activities were the subdual, the restraint and the neck compression.”

“There’s no evidence,” she later added, “to suggest he would have died that night except for the interactions with law enforcement.”

Court is adjourned until Monday morning when testimony is expected to resume in the trial of former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin.

The medical examiner who ruled George Floyd’s death a homicide last year says due to the 46-year-old’s underlying health conditions, his body was simply not able to survive being subdued by police.  

“He has a heart that already needs more oxygen than a normal heart by virtue of its size and its limited in its ability to step up to provide more oxygen when there’s demand because of the narrowing of his coronary arteries,” Dr. Andrew Baker, Hennepin County’s chief medical examiner, told prosecutor Jerry Blackwell. “The law enforcement subdue will restrain to the neck compression was just more than Mr. Floyd could take by virtue of that those heart conditions.”

Baker explained to the jury in the trial of Derek Chauvin how he examined Floyd’s body to identify any injuries and found cuts and bruises on Floyd’s face and hands from the interaction with police.  

“These are blunt force injuries, these are abrasions and lacerations, again, that’s damage to the skin from blunt trauma. These would be entirely consistent with him, having been in an altercation with another person,” Baker testified.  

He looked under the skin on Floyd’s back to see if there were any signs of bruising and found none. “Sometimes, fresh bruises can be difficult to see in some people, so we look underneath the skin to make sure we have a missed something,” he testified.  

Baker did not photograph Floyd’s heart since it appeared normal, though the weight was slightly larger due to high blood pressure, he said.  

“The weight of the heart is a very good predictor as to whether that heart is normal or not, people who have high blood pressure for a long period of time, their heart will actually get heavier, just like any muscle that’s worked hard. The heart will grow in response to that kind of stress,” Baker testified.  

Floyd’s arteries were dissected looking for narrowing or blockages and significant hardening was found. “You should be seeing through a round hole in each of those but they’re pretty severely narrowed,” Baker told the jury as they looked at photos of the dissected blood vessels.

He said there was no sign of clots in his coronary artery and no damage to the heart muscle itself.  

Dr. Andrew Baker, the Hennepin County chief medical examiner who performed George Floyd’s autopsy, said he still classifies Floyd’s death as a homicide which, in the medical world, is not an assignment of guilt or malicious intent necessarily.

“My opinion remains unchanged. It’s what I put on the death certificate last June. That’s cardiopulmonary arrest, complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint and neck compression. That was my top line then and it would stay my top line now,” Baker said during the trial of former officer Derek Chauvin today.

In regards to any underlying medical conditions Floyd may have suffered from or what may have been in his system in May 2020, Baker said “they are not direct causes of Mr. Floyd’s death.”

“They’re contributing causes,” he added. “I would still classify it as a homicide today.”

The underlying heart disease George Floyd suffered from “contributed” but was not “the direct cause” of his death, Dr. Andrew Baker, the Hennepin County Chief Medical Examiner who performed Floyd’s autopsy, testified in court today.

“I don’t know that we specifically got to it, counselor, but Mr. Floyd also had what we call hypertensive heart disease, meaning his heart weighed more than it should,” Baker said to prosecuting attorney Jerry Blackwell. “He has a heart that already needs more oxygen than a normal heart by virtue of its size, and it’s limited in its ability to step up to provide more oxygen when there’s demand because of the narrowing of his coronary arteries.”

Baker went on to explain what Floyd’s heart was likely put through in May 2020 during the incident with police.

“Now, in the context of an altercation with other people that involves things like physical restraint, that involves things like being held to the ground, that involves things like the pain you would incur from having your cheek up against the asphalt and abrasion on your shoulder, those events are going to cause stress hormones to pour out into your body like adrenaline,” Baker added. “The adrenaline will ask your heart to beat faster, it will ask your body for more oxygen so that you can get through that altercation. And, in my opinion, the law enforcement subdual restraint and neck compression was just more than Mr. Floyd could take by virtue of those heart conditions.”

Dr. Andrew Baker, the Hennepin County Chief Medical Examiner who performed George Floyd’s autopsy, told the court he has “no reason to believe” Floyd’s tumor – a paraganglioma – discovered in his pelvis had anything to do with his  death. 

“What we’re talking about is an incidental tumor I happened to find in his pelvis during the autopsy. I did look at it under the microscope. The likely diagnosis is a paraganglioma but I have no reason to believe that had anything to do with Mr. Floyd’s death,” he continued.

Moments before, Baker made similar comments about Floyd’s sickle cell trait.

“Sickle cell trait is carried by about 8% of Americans of African heritage. What it means is that one of the genes that codes for the beta chain of hemoglobin has an abnormal substitution in it. If you just have sickle cell trait, chances are you will go through life and never have any symptoms from it because you make plenty of normal hemoglobin,” Baker told the court.

“So, it’s really just a fluke that it got picked up at autopsy. In my opinion, it doesn’t have anything to do with why he died,” he added.

Baker ruled Floyd’s death last May was a homicide, identifying the cause as “cardiopulmonary arrest” that occurred during “law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression.”

Dr. Andrew Baker, the Hennepin County chief medical examiner, testified today that George Floyd’s autopsy revealed that he did not have have any prior heart damage before the incident in May 2020.

“Mr. Floyd had no visible or microscopic previous damage to his heart muscle,” Baker said.

Earlier today: Dr. Lindsey Thomas, a forensic pathologist, said the “subdual, restraint and compression” of law enforcement of Floyd was “ultimately” the immediate cause of death.

“This is a death where both the heart and lung stopped working. And the point is that it’s due to law enforcement subdual, restraint and compression. That is kind of what ultimately is the immediate cause of death. It’s the subdual, restraint and compression,” Thomas said. 

Asked by the prosecution to explain what the terms “subdual restraint and neck compression” mean, Thomas said:

“Those were activities by the law enforcement agency officers involved. Subdual is subduing someone, trying to restrain them. In Mr. Floyd’s case, involved handcuffing him, his positioning on the ground, the prone position. The people kneeling on him. And the net compression is the knee on the neck specifically. Additionally, there was some back and other things being compressed by the officers.” 

Dr. Andrew Baker, the Hennepin County Chief Medical Examiner, testified today that George Floyd’s autopsy revealed that he had suffered “several injuries to his face” in May 2020.

“And these were specifically taken to illustrate the injuries you see on the corner of his left eyebrow and on his left cheek,” Baker said in response to being shown autopsy photos today in court of Floyd’s body. “You can see the bruising and the abrasion. That’s fancy medical lingo for the big scrape on the left side of his forehead. You can see the scrape or the abrasion on the left side of his cheek. It’s a very common for abrasions post-mortem to take on the dark black color. After death, the moisture in the abrasion on you or me isn’t there any more and they tend to dry out and look more like what you see in the photo.”

Baker added: “These would be entirely consistent with the left side of his face being pinned against the asphalt or road surface he was on the night before.”

Hennepin County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Andrew Baker, who performed George Floyd’s autopsy, told the prosecuting attorney that he did not view videos of Floyd’s death before examining the body.

“I was aware at least one video had gone viral on the internet. But I intentionally chose not to look at that until I had examined Mr. Floyd. I did not want to bias my exam by going in with preconceived notions that might lead me down one pathway or another,” Baker said.

Baker ruled Floyd’s death last May was a homicide, identifying the cause as “cardiopulmonary arrest” that occurred during “law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression.”

The medical examiner saw the videos upon completing the autopsy.

“One video I saw shortly after the autopsy, that was the one most of the public had seen through Facebook or other social media, the other videos such as the cub surveillance video and the body worn camera videos, I did not see until three or four days after the autopsy,” Baker said.

Hennepin County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Andrew Baker, who performed George Floyd’s autopsy, has taken the stand.

Baker ruled Floyd’s death last May a homicide, identifying the cause as “cardiopulmonary arrest” that occurred during “law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression.”

The Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s official autopsy made no mention of asphyxiation as a cause of death, which has been a key pillar of prosecutors’ case.

The court has returned from a lunch break, and testimony has resumed in the trial of former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin.

Earlier today, forensic pathologist Dr. Lindsey Thomas testified that the “primary mechanism” of George Floyd’s death was “asphyxia or low oxygen.”

She told the court she ruled out drugs as a factor in Floyd’s death.

Shareeduh Tate, George Floyd’s cousin, said that she thinks the trial of former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin is “going in the right direction.”

“The testimony from the experts really drove home what we thought all along, is that, you know, his cause of death was from the neck compression and not from a drug overdose,” Tate said. 

The family is “dealing with it as best that we can” as they re-live Floyd’s death through the trial, she added.

Tate has said she’s “pessimistically optimistic” about the trial, and she thinks many Black Americans who are watching the trial feel the same way.  

The first day of the trial stood out for her, she said, since that was the first time she saw the video of her cousin outside of Cup Foods. 

Charles McMillan’s testimony also struck a chord with her, she said. McMillian, who was one of the first bystanders on the scene as Floyd was being taken into custody in May 2020, broke down on the stand during his testimony after watching footage of his arrest.

“There’s been a lot of prayers and support for our family. But I would ask that there be for the same for these bystanders and these people who are testifying, but who are essentially having to relive the fact that they, you know, they watched this murder in real-time. So I really liked the way that he seemed to … really connect with what was going on,” Tate said.

Hypothetical scenarios introduced in the murder trial of former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin are “dangerous,” according to CNN legal analyst Laura Coates. 

“Both prosecutors, but especially defense, have got to be very wary about using hypotheticals. Because it comes across to the jury that they’re trying to be cute or they’re being disingenuous or they just don’t get what we’re talking about,” Coates said. 

While cross-examining forensic pathologist Dr. Lindsey Thomas, defense attorney Eric Nelson asked her about George Floyd’s heart disease and what the cause of death would be if police were taken out of the incident altogether.

Earlier, Thomas testified that the “subdual, restraint and compression” of Floyd by law enforcement was “ultimately” the immediate cause of his death.

“You’re trying to distill this down in such a reductive way that you’re losing all of the facts that are at issue in this case. So every time this defense counsel tries to raise hypotheticals that have nothing to do with the facts, he invites a new witness — not a fact witness, but an expert witness — to now revisit and remind the jury of what happened to George Floyd in his final moments,” Coates said. 

For the first time during the trial, the seat reserved for a representative for Derek Chauvin’s family was filled today by a woman, according to reports from two courtroom pool reporters.

Deputies had previously removed the seat from the courtroom as no representative of the Chauvin family had attended the trial until this point.

Pool reports note a deputy is sitting between the George Floyd and Chauvin family representatives. The two are not seen looking at each other. 

The court has taken a break for lunch.

Testimony is expected to resume after the break.

Jurors in the trial of former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin seem “relatively well-engaged” and “appear to be listening” to Friday morning’s testimony from forensic pathologist Dr. Lindsey Thomas, according to reports from two courtroom pool reporters.

When Thomas told the court she believed “asphyxia or low oxygen” was the “primary mechanism” of George Floyd’s death, “nearly all jurors were seen writing this down.”

A packet of photos from Floyd’s autopsy was passed out to jurors, pool reporters and spectators in court during Thomas’ testimony Friday morning.

The packets included “close up photos of his face, shoulders and hands. His body is brightly lit – almost portrait style. There is nothing outwardly clinical about the photos.”

One pool reporter observed all jurors looking through the photos and “some are seen flipping ahead looking at all the images.”

The Floyd family representative “didn’t have any obvious emotional reaction” to the packet of autopsy photos, but one pool reporter noted “he spent a long time staring at the first image, before thumbing through the remaining images.”

One pool report included the following descriptions of the autopsy photos presented to jurors:

“Exhibit 185 is a close-up photo of Floyd, a white tube appearing protrude from his mouth from emergency respiratory efforts. His face is scraped over left eyebrow and on left cheek. All the jurors are looking through the photos at this point, some are seen flipping ahead looking at all the images.”
“Exhibit 235 is a close up of the abrasions on the left side of Floyd’s face taken from the side.”
“Exhibit 188 is a photo of Floyd’s left shoulder with a large abrasion which Thomas tells the jury is evidence of Floyd trying to push himself up.”
“Exhibit 187 is a photo of Floyd’s right shoulder, which shows some scrapes but not as large as the abrasion on Floyd’s left shoulder.”
“Exhibit 189 is a photo of Floyd’s left hand, which is ringed by a large red mark. Thomas testifies this is from the handcuff. Jurors are looking at the photos as she speaks.”
“Exhibit 190 is a photo of Floyd’s right hand, which shows a similar mark from a handcuff. Thomas points out scrapes on his knuckles and fingers which she tells the jury came from when he was reaching out towards the squad car tire and “push his body into a position again where he can breathe.” 

Both pool reporters noted that for the first time during the trial, the seat reserved for a Derek Chauvin family representative is filled today by a woman. Deputies had previously removed the seat from the courtroom as no representative of the Chauvin family had attended the trial until this point.

Pool reporters have not yet been able to identify the Floyd family representative in court Friday. The reports note a deputy is sitting between the Floyd and Chauvin family representatives. The two are not seen looking at each other. 

A member of the jury in the Derek Chauvin trial was questioned Friday morning by Judge Peter Cahill about “some concerns expressed” over outside influences, according to reports from two courtroom pool reporters.  

The questioning of juror took place on the record before testimony in the trial began Friday, but broadcast of video and audio was not allowed by the judge. 

The woman juror told Cahill “she had turned on a television and briefly saw coverage” and “saw an image of the courtroom with a woman with dark hair.” The woman explained to the judge that her volume was off and she quickly turned off the TV, according to the report. 

When Cahill asked the woman if she had any contact with her family about the case, the woman replied her mother-in-law had texted her and said, “Looks like it was a bad day,” according to one report. The second pool report differed and said the text was from the woman’s mother. The woman told the judge she did not respond to the text. 

“Any book deal in the works?” Cahill asked. 

“The woman became slightly flustered or surprised,” according to one report. “No, I don’t know how this case is going to go,” the woman responded. She reiterated she hasn’t talked to anyone about the trial. 

According to the reports, after the woman left the courtroom, Cahill asked if attorneys wanted to make any motions. Defense attorney Eric Nelson declined. Prosecutor Steve Schleicher said he would like the record to note the woman’s demeanor. Cahill noted the woman seemed “surprised.”  

Defense attorney Eric Nelson is now questioning forensic pathologist Dr. Lindsey Thomas.

Thomas testified earlier today that the “primary mechanism” of George Floyd’s death was “asphyxia or low oxygen.”

She told the court she ruled out drugs as a factor in Floyd’s death.

Thomas explained that Floyd’s death was not “sudden” like you would get with methamphetamine. And it was not slow like you would see with fentanyl, where “the death is slow, it’s peaceful, they fall asleep,” she said.

The trial has resumed after a 20-minute break.

Forensic pathologist Dr. Lindsey Thomas continues her testimony on the stand.

The court is taking a 20-minute break. Dr. Lindsey Thomas, a forensic pathologist will continue her testimony when court resumes.

Before the recess, Dr. Thomas was being asked about George Floyd’s manner of death and why she agrees with Hennepin County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Andrew Baker’s ruling that Floyd’s death last May was a homicide.

Forensic pathologist Dr. Lindsey Thomas said a “secondary mechanism” in George Floyd’s death is what she referred to as “physiologic stress.”

“It’s that kind of fear of life that I’m talking about for physiologic stress,” she said, using an example of the feeling a person would experience when they narrowly avoid getting into a car crash or when they momentarily lose sight of their child on a crowded beach.

She detailed what goes on in the body when this feeling arises, including more adrenaline, increased blood pressure, release of stress hormones and a racing heart.

“You start needing more oxygen in your muscles. You need to take more breaths. You need more oxygen for your heart rate because your heart is beating faster,” she said.

The physiologic stress was a “double whammy” to Floyd’s system, Thomas said:

“Mr. Floyd was already in a position where he was experiencing difficulty breathing and getting enough oxygen in his body. And on top of that, now, there’s this physiologic stress that is putting increased demand on his heart, increased demand on his lungs, increased demand on his muscles. So all of the things that he’s using — his muscles, his strength, his body — to try and get himself into a safe position where he can breathe, those are being doubly stressed by the position that he’s in, as well as the underlying chemical reactions that are going on in his body. So it’s kind of a double whammy to his heart and lungs and muscles and his whole system,” she said.

In Floyd’s case, she said, the “primary mechanism [of death] I think is asphyxia, or low oxygen, and the secondary mechanism is this physiologic stress, but ultimately the cause of death is the subdual, restraint and compression.”

Physiologic stress cannot be observed on an autopsy, since it is a chemical reaction, Thomas explained.

The jury was presented a set of photos by the prosecution that showed George Floyd’s injuries.

The images, the prosecuting attorney said, depict the points made by forensic pathologist Dr. Lindsey Thomas about the “superficial injuries” that she believes support the conclusion of Floyd’s cause of death.

Earlier in her testimony, she said “subdual, restraint and compression” of law enforcement on Floyd was “ultimately” the immediate cause of death.

The judge said the images of Floyd would not be shown in the monitors, but everyone in the court room will have access to them.

This is what Thomas said about the injuries Floyd sustained during his arrest:

“So Mr. Floyd, had superficial injuries, what would be described as superficial injuries specifically on his face, shoulders, wrists. And what that does, is it supports what I saw in the videos, which is that he is being forcibly restrained and subdued and he’s trying to move into a position by rubbing his face against the concrete cement of the ground, by pulling against his handcuffs. You can see the injury to his wrists from the handcuffs. And by pushing with his shoulder. And he also had some scrapes on his knuckles on his right hand. Again that, that was from him pushing to try to get into a position where he could breathe.”

Forensic pathologist Dr. Lindsey Thomas clearly told the court that she ruled out drugs as a factor in George Floyd’s death.

She explained that Floyd’s death was not “sudden” like you would get with methamphetamine. And it was not slow like you would see with fentanyl, where “the death is slow, it’s peaceful, they fall asleep,” she said.

The prosecutor asked, “Then based on your review of the video and application of the experience and knowledge, did you rule out drug overdose as a cause of death?” 

“Yes,” Thomas said. 

The prosecutor continued: “And that’s an opinion you hear to a degree of medical certainty?” 

“Yes,” she said. 

Earlier in her testimony Thomas told the court that it was the “subdual, restraint and compression” of law enforcement on Floyd that was “ultimately” the cause of his death.

Dr. Lindsey Thomas, a forensic pathologist, said the “subdual, restraint and compression” of law enforcement of George Floyd was “ultimately” the immediate cause of death.

“This is a death were both the heart and lung stopped working. And the point is that it’s due to law enforcement subdual, restraint and compression. That is kind of what ultimately is the immediate cause of death. It’s the subdual, restraint and compression,” Thomas said. 

Asked by the prosecution to explain what the terms “subdual restraint and neck compression” mean, Thomas said:

“Those were activities by the law enforcement agency officers involved. Subdual is subduing someone, trying to restrain them. In Mr. Floyd’s case, involved handcuffing him, his positioning on the ground, the prone position. The people kneeling on him. And the net compression is the knee on the neck specifically. Additionally, there was some back and other things being compressed by the officers.” 

If you put all of those together, she continued, “what it means to me, is that the activities of the law enforcement officers resulted in Mr. Floyd’s death. And that specifically those activities were the subdual, the restraint and the neck compression.” 

Dr. Lindsey Thomas, a forensic pathologist, said the “primary mechanism” of George Floyd’s death was “asphyxia or low oxygen.” 

Thomas said she agrees with the determination from Hennepin County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Andrew Baker — who performed Floyd’s autopsy — on the cause of death, which was “cardiopulmonary complicating law enforcement subdual restraint and neck compression.”

“This is not a sudden cardiac death, a sudden cardiac arrhythmia. This is a death where both the heart and lungs stopped working. And the point is that it’s due to law enforcement subdual, restraint and compression. That is kind of what ultimately is the immediate cause of death,” she said.

Dr. Lindsey Thomas, a forensic pathologist, is now testifying.

Asked by the prosecuting attorney to describe her field of expertise, she said:

“Forensic pathologists, is a branch of pathology, branch of medicine, where medicine and law overlap. So, it could be anything with a medical and legal component, could be toxicology, in some cases, it may involve living patients. But as I practice, and as most forensic pathologists practice, involves what’s called, medical legal, death investigation.” 

“We don’t directly treat patients. But we provide information to doctors who then do treat patients,” she added later on in questioning.

Thomas noted that she is not being paid for her time and service in this case.

“I knew this was going to be important. And I felt like I had something to offer. I wanted to do what I could to help explain what I think happened,” she said.

She said she was asked to review “a lot of material and come to an independent conclusion about what I thought the cause and manner of death were and the mechanism for that cause.”

Day 10 of testimony in the trial of former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin, who has been charged in the death of George Floyd, just began.

A forensic pathologist has taken the stand.

Hennepin County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Andrew Baker, who performed the autopsy of George Floyd, is also expected to testify today.

Baker ruled that Floyd’s death last May was a homicide, identifying the cause as “cardiopulmonary arrest” that occurred during “law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression.”

Jurors heard testimony yesterday from three expert witnesses for the prosecution, including a pulmonologist who said Floyd died from a “low level of oxygen.”

Crucial testimony in the trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin is expected today when the medical examiner who performed George Floyd’s autopsy takes the stand.

Prosecutors intend to call Hennepin County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Andrew Baker. He ruled Floyd’s death last May a homicide, identifying the cause as “cardiopulmonary arrest” that occurred during “law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression.”

The Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s official autopsy made no mention of asphyxiation as a cause of death, which has been a key pillar of prosecutors’ case.

Baker’s testimony will come on the 10th day of Chauvin’s trial, the culmination of a week filled with expert testimony by not only medical experts, but also policing experts who testified Chauvin violated policy and used excessive force on Floyd.

A pulmonary critical care doctor testified Thursday that Floyd died from a “low level of oxygen” when Chauvin pinned him to the street with his knee, restricting Floyd’s ability to breathe. Chauvin has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder, third-degree murder and third-degree manslaughter charges.

Why these testimonies matter: The medical analysis is important to the prosecution’s case that Chauvin was a substantial cause of Floyd’s death when he put his body weight on Floyd’s neck and back for over nine minutes – causing death by “positional asphyxia.”

Chauvin’s defense attorney Eric Nelson has argued that Floyd died of a drug overdose and preexisting health conditions.

We expect another big day of testimony today, with the medical examiner who performed George Floyd’s autopsy taking the stand.

A renowned pulmonary critical care doctor testified Thursday morning that George Floyd died from a “low level of oxygen” when former police officer Derek Chauvin pinned him to the street and restricted his ability to breathe.

“This caused damage to his brain that we see, and it also caused a PEA arrhythmia that caused his heart to stop,” Dr. Martin Tobin of Chicago testified, referring to pulseless electrical activity, a type of cardiac arrest.

“The cause of the low level of oxygen was shallow breathing,” he added. “Small breaths. Small tidal volumes. Shallow breaths that weren’t able to carry the air through his lungs down to the essential areas of the lungs that get oxygen into the blood and get rid of the carbon dioxide.”

He identified four main reasons why Floyd died:

Combined, these limited Floyd’s ability to expand his lungs and narrowed his hypopharynx, a part of the throat that air passes through.

Floyd’s preexisting health conditions and drug use were not relevant to his death, Tobin said.

“A healthy person subjected to what Mr. Floyd was subjected to would have died,” he said.

Tobin’s testimony came on the ninth day of the trial as prosecutors shifted into the third phase of their case, focusing on the medical analysis of Floyd’s cause of death. 

Read more about how the trial unfolded yesterday here.

The trial of former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin will enter day 10 of testimony today. We’re expecting the prosecution to call more witnesses.

Here’s a recap of what’s happened so far this week:

The jury in Derek Chauvin’s trial has heard from multiple witnesses so far, and they’ve been shown bystander and police footage of George Floyd’s final moments. 

If convicted, Chauvin could face up to 40 years in prison for second-degree murder, up to 25 years for third-degree murder, and up to 10 years for second-degree manslaughter. The charges are to be considered separate, so Chauvin could be convicted of all, some or none of them.

While the jurors are unnamed and unseen on camera, we do know basic details about them.

Here’s what we know about the jury:

Read more about about the jury here.

Hennepin County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Andrew Baker, who performed the autopsy of George Floyd, is expected to testify this morning.

Jurors heard testimony yesterday from three expert witnesses for the prosecution, including a pulmonologist who said Floyd died from a “low level of oxygen.”

An emergency medicine physician with specialized training in forensic medicine, also testified and told the court that there was no evidence that Floyd had a heart attack. He said Floyd died because of a lack of oxygen in his body.

It is day 10 of testimony in the trial of former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin, who has been charged in the death of George Floyd.

A series of witnesses took the stand in court yesterday during the prosecution’s portion of the trial.

If you’re just reading in, here’s what happened in court yesterday:

Dr. Martin Tobin, a physician in pulmonary and critical care medicine, testified after having reviewed the medical records in the Floyd case.

“Mr. Floyd died from a low level of oxygen,” Tobin testified. “And this caused damage to his brain that we see and it also caused a PEA arrhythmia, that caused his heart to stop.”
PEA means pulseless electrical activity, “which is a particular form of abnormal beat of heart — an arrhythmia,” he explained.

He also shared his opinion on the cause for the low level of oxygen in Floyd. “The cause of the low level of oxygen was shallow breathing. Small breaths. Small tidal volumes. Shallow breaths that weren’t able to carry the air through his lungs down to the essential areas of the lungs that get oxygen into the blood and get rid of the carbon dioxide.”

Tobin also testified that fentanyl did not have an effect in “causing depression of the respiratory centers” in Floyd. Tobin said that with fentanyl, Floyd’s respiratory rate should have been 10, instead the rate was at 22, which is normal.

“Basically it tells you that there isn’t fentanyl on board that is affecting his respiratory centers. It’s not having an effect on his respiratory centers,” Tobin told the prosecution.

Tobin noted that the normal range for a respiratory rate is between 12 and 22. Tobin testified that Floyd’s respiratory rate was 22 just before he lost consciousness.

Dr. William “Bill” Smock, emergency medicine physician with specialized training in forensic medicine, testified that Floyd died because of a lack of oxygen in his body.

“Mr. Floyd died from positional asphyxia. It is a fancy way of saying he died because he had no oxygen left in his body,” Smock said. “When the body is deprived of oxygen, in this case from his chest pressure and back, he gradually succumbed to lower and lower levels of oxygen until it was gone and he died.”

Smock also discussed the nature of strangulation and whether bruising is something that always occurs. “You can be fatally strangled, die of asphyxia, and have no bruising. The presence or absence of a bruise on a human body, is dependent upon a multiple different variables. How much pressure is applied? How is that pressure applied? How frequently is that pressure applied?” Smock said.

Dr. Daniel Isenschmid testified that fentanyl and methamphetamine were found in the blood taken from Floyd at the hospital. Floyd’s fentanyl concentration was 11 nanograms per milliliter, Isenschmid said. Norfentanyl, a drug that it breaks down into, was recorded at a level of 5.6, he said.     

The norfentanyl concentration could indicate fentanyl was taken and then some of it had already broken down, or it could indicate someone took a dose of the drug, then later took another dose, Isenschmid explained.  

The impact of fentanyl on someone can vary person to person, due to tolerance, he said.