The medical examiner in Minneapolis says that Floyd did not die from asphyxiation or strangulation. They are waiting for toxicology reports. Read the arrest report here.(pdf alert) This is going to make it very difficult to get a conviction.

Note that the ME report says that the cops holding him face down “likely” contributed to Floyd’s death. The standard is “beyond a reasonable doubt.” Likely won’t be good enough, it has to be a sure thing for a criminal case.

If he didn’t directly die from the officer’s actions for certain, they have an uphill battle here.

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5 Comments

Beans · May 31, 2020 at 3:40 am

Just like every other time, the truth comes out at the end of the 48 hour cycle.

Did he die in police custody? Assuredly so.

Did the knee-to-the-neck cause his death? Assuredly not.

Are the officers potentially responsible for unintentional manslaughter? Maybe.

All this loss of property and life over a career criminal with major health issues, partially caused by his reliance on street drugs.

Like, oh, every time.

Except when a black cop with a huge record of improper use-of-force incidents shoots a white woman. Gee, if whites were as racist as we are supposed to be, Minneapolis would have burnt to the ground a long time ago.

Wayne · May 31, 2020 at 12:01 pm

Career criminal with a history of street drug use? Got a source for that?

So the knee to the neck "assuredly" did not cause his death? Based on a snippet from the criminal complaint. We don't have the autopsy report, we certainly do not have a tox screen.

You and Divemedic seem to be making conclusions based on "facts" not in evidence. The cops don't get an oopsie get out of jail card because Mr Floyd had hypertension (like most Black men in America) and heart disease.

Divemedic · May 31, 2020 at 2:48 pm

All the defense have to do is show that there is an alternate scenario that fits the facts, and he walks. Remember that the standard is "beyond a reasonable doubt," and even one alternate scenario is called reasonable doubt. If it can be shown that there is a possibility that this man died from any other cause except the knee to the neck, this leaves the door open to a not guilty verdict on murder and manslaughter, which would only leave something for the excessive force charges. The problem is that he hasn't been charged with that. I don't know if it would be a lesser included charge, that would be up to a lawyer.

Beans · May 31, 2020 at 8:07 pm

Despite what all the newsies say, the knee to the back of the neck area is a pretty wide-spread known hold method. Taught to many cops and in many self defense classes.

It allows the officer to restrain the suspect in a hands-free method, which is good.

Been used for years and years. Does not cause death or excessive trauma.

What does cause death is thrashing your system with street drugs while being a walking case of sudden-death by coronary means. Which, um, happened. He was dying already from his hear, "I can't breathe" while still standing. By the time he was on the ground and stopped resisting, he was dead-dead.

Were the cops stupid for not monitoring him when he finally quieted down? Yes. That 'Oh, Shite' moment when formerly thrashing patient/suspect just stops moving is something medical personnel and cops all over really hate to see.

Thus… all of this, rioting, looting, pillaging, assaults and deaths mean nothing at all.

Bejeebus, Mohammed Noor got away with outright murder of a non-criminal woman with little-to-no criminal history (maybe some traffic tickets, maybe) and the world didn't burn down, but one career criminal dies in the commission of a felony (passing counterfeit money) and everyone loses their collective poop?

Or… is this something more, like, oh, say, Corona didn't derail the presidency, so let's do a race riot. Which was tried over Ahmed Aubrey and failed after 48 hours when, as usual, the truth comes out even though the media tried to not let it out.

Next up if race riots fail to take Trump down, it will be yet another round of 'Impeachment, Impeachment, Impeachment.'

Divemedic · May 31, 2020 at 8:42 pm

I have been present for numerous in custody deaths (I wasn't involved until after the fact- I am/was a paramedic, not a cop)

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