The autopsy report said that Floyd's heart stopped, as police restrained him and compressed his neck as seen in the viral video that sparked protests across the world.
“Decedent experienced a cardiopulmonary arrest while being restrained by law enforcement officer(s),” the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office said in a news release. Cause of death was listed as “cardiopulmonary arrest complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint and neck compression.”
Floyd's other significant health conditions were listed as "arteriosclerotic and hypertensive heart disease; fentanyl intoxication; recent methamphetamine use." Those factors were not listed under the cause of death.
The statement added that the "manner of death is not a legal determination of culpability or intent."
A separate autopsy commissioned for Floyd’s family also called his death a homicide. It concluded that he died of asphyxiation due to neck and back compression, said the family’s attorney, Ben Crump
That autopsy, by a forensic pathologist who also examined Eric Garner’s body, found the compression cut off blood to Floyd’s brain, and that the pressure of other officers’ knees on his back made it impossible for him to breathe, Crump said.
The family’s autopsy found no evidence of heart disease and concluded he had been healthy.
A Minneapolis police officer was charged last week with third-degree murder in Floyd’s death, and three other officers were fired. Floyd's death sparked days of protests in around 40 cities of the United States, along with a mass demonstration outside the White House. The demonstrators have been continuously criticizing the United States President Donald Trump for his reaction over Floyd's death.
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