No.
George Floyd’s autopsy report concludes that his death was caused by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on his neck, not a drug overdose.
The case title of the Hennepin County Medical Examiner Office’s report on Floyd’s death reads, “Cardiopulmonary arrest complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression.”
The examination did find fentanyl and other drugs in Floyd’s system, along with a history of heart disease. However, multiple doctors testified that these factors were not to blame.
Dr. Lindsey Thomas, a longtime medical examiner brought in as an expert witness during Chauvin’s trial, stated, “The primary mechanism of death is asphyxia, or low oxygen.”
Dr. Martin Tobin, a pulmonary specialist who also testified at the trial, added that “a healthy person” would have died from “what Mr. Floyd was subjected to.”
Video showed that Chauvin pinned Floyd’s neck to the ground for at least nine minutes as Floyd repeated, “I can’t breathe.”
Chauvin was found guilty in 2021 of second-degree murder and sentenced to 22-and-a-half years in prison. His conviction was upheld in 2023.
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