US: George Floyd’s autopsy claims he died of underlying heart conditions and not strangulation

The family of George Floyd has hired their own pathologist for a separate autopsy after the official results claimed he did not die of strangulation or asphyxiation.

The preliminary results of the county’s autopsy instead concluded Floyd, 46, died from a combination of heart disease and ‘potential intoxicants in his system’ that were exacerbated by the restraint placed on him by police officers.

Floyd’s family revealed Friday they have now hired the services of renowned forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Baden to conduct a second, independent autopsy.

They claim the underlying health conditions cited in the official report are ‘an illusion’.

‘The family does not trust anything coming from the Minneapolis Police Department. How can they?’ attorney Ben Crump said. ‘We already saw the truth.’

Baden is set to travel to Minneapolis on Saturday and told Fox News he will discuss his findings next week.

The county’s autopsy results were revealed Friday after former police officer Derek Michael Chauvin, who was shown kneeling on Floyd’s neck during his arrest on Monday, was charged with his murder.

It came as Minneapolis faced its fourth day of intense protests over his death and more demonstrations broke out across the country, including in Washington D.C. where the White House was forced to be locked down.

The criminal complaint filed against Chauvin, 44, cited that preliminary findings from a Tuesday autopsy conducted by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner saw ‘no physical findings that support a diagnosis of traumatic asphyxiation or strangulation’.

‘Mr. Floyd had underlying health conditions including coronary artery disease and hypertensive heart disease,’ said the complaint from the Hennepin County Attorney.

‘The combined effects of Mr. Floyd being restrained by police, his underlying health conditions and any potential intoxicants in his system likely contributed to his death.’

The full medical examiner’s report is pending.

Attorneys for Floyd have now requested a second, independent autopsy, unhappy with the findings from the county medical examiner that they claim create an ‘illusion’ of underlying health conditions being responsible for his death.