MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The family of George Floyd says an independent autopsy has found that he died of asphyxiation from sustained pressure on his back and neck.
The autopsy by a doctor who also examined Eric Garner’s body found the compression cut off blood to Floyd’s brain, and weight on his back made it hard to breathe.
Watch the family's attorneys announce their autopsy results:
Floyd, a black man who was in handcuffs at the time, died a week ago after a white Minneapolis officer held his knee on Floyd’s neck for several minutes. The officer ignored bystander shouts to get off him and Floyd’s cries that he couldn’t breathe.
The family’s autopsy differs from the official autopsy as described in a criminal complaint against the officer.
That autopsy included the effects of being restrained, along with underlying health issues and potential intoxicants in Floyd’s system, but also said it found nothing “to support a diagnosis of traumatic asphyxia or strangulation.”
Floyd’s death, captured on citizen video, sparked days of protests in Minneapolis that have spread to cities around America.