Memory is a funny thing, especially when it's tied to something as heavy as the events of May 25, 2020. You’ve probably seen the video. Most people have. But when you get into the weeds of the medical testimony and the legal battles that followed, the question of how did George Floyd die becomes a lot more technical than just a nine-minute clip on a smartphone. It’s about oxygen, or the lack of it.
It happened on a Monday. Memorial Day. A $20 bill, allegedly counterfeit, started a chain of events at 38th and Chicago in Minneapolis that basically changed the world. But for George Floyd, it ended on the pavement.
The Official Word vs. The Family’s View
There’s often a lot of confusion because two different autopsy reports hit the news back then. Honestly, it’s easy to get them mixed up.
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Dr. Andrew Baker, the Hennepin County Medical Examiner, conducted the official state autopsy. He ruled the death a homicide. His specific phrasing was: "cardiopulmonary arrest complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression."
Essentially, his heart and lungs stopped while he was being held down.
Baker also noted some other stuff. Floyd had severe heart disease (arteriosclerosis and hypertension) and there was fentanyl and methamphetamine in his system. This became a huge talking point for the defense. They wanted to argue that he died of an overdose or a bad heart.
But Baker was pretty clear during his testimony. He said those things were "contributory" but not the direct cause. The police restraint was the "top line." It was just more than his body could handle.
Then you have the independent autopsy. The Floyd family hired Dr. Michael Baden and Dr. Allecia Wilson. They didn't focus on the heart stuff much at all. Their conclusion? Mechanical asphyxiation. Basically, they argued the weight on his neck and back literally squeezed the life out of him by stopping his breath and the blood flow to his brain.
Why the Lungs Mattered Most
During the Derek Chauvin trial, things got even more specific. If you want to understand the mechanics of how did George Floyd die, you have to look at Dr. Martin Tobin.
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He’s a pulmonologist—a lung expert. He didn't just look at the body; he looked at the physics of the restraint.
Tobin testified that Floyd died from a "low level of oxygen." He used some pretty vivid imagery. He described the "vise-like" grip of the pavement on one side and the knees on the other.
According to Tobin, the way Floyd was handcuffed—pushed up high behind his back—combined with the pressure on his neck and the prone position (lying flat on his stomach), meant he couldn't expand his chest to breathe.
It wasn't just a "chokehold." It was "positional asphyxia."
He even pointed to the exact moment in the video where he believed Floyd's brain suffered permanent damage from lack of oxygen. It was before the officers even checked for a pulse.
The Fentanyl Argument
People still argue about the drugs. It's a common "yeah, but" in internet comments.
The toxicology report found 11 ng/mL of fentanyl in Floyd’s blood. The defense claimed this was a lethal dose.
However, medical experts for the prosecution, including Dr. Tobin, threw some cold water on that. They pointed out that if someone is dying of a fentanyl overdose, their breathing slows down significantly. They get sleepy. They go into a "stupor."
George Floyd wasn't sleepy. He was talking, struggling, and desperately trying to find air. His respiratory rate was actually high—22 breaths a minute—until it wasn't. That’s not how an overdose looks.
Plus, people who use opioids regularly build up a massive tolerance. What might kill one person won't necessarily kill another.
What Actually Tipped the Scales
So, when we ask how did George Floyd die, the answer is a combination of factors, but one main driver.
- Physical Restraint: Nine minutes and 29 seconds of pressure on the neck and back.
- The Prone Position: Being face-down while handcuffed makes it incredibly hard for the diaphragm to move.
- The Stress Response: His body was flooded with adrenaline, which put an immense strain on a heart that already had some issues.
- Lack of Medical Aid: Even after he went silent and lost a pulse, the restraint continued for several minutes without any CPR.
Medical experts like Dr. Bill Smock also testified that the death was entirely preventable. If he’d been sat up or turned on his side the moment he was handcuffed, he likely would have survived.
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Navigating the Facts Today
Understanding this case requires looking past the headlines and into the actual court transcripts. The consensus among the majority of medical experts who testified under oath was that the police restraint caused the oxygen deprivation that led to his heart stopping.
If you're looking for the most accurate takeaways:
- Read the full Hennepin County Autopsy Report. It’s public record and details everything from the heart condition to the abrasions on his face.
- Watch the testimony of Dr. Martin Tobin. It is widely considered the most definitive medical explanation of the respiratory failure.
- Distinguish between "cause" and "contributing factors." In forensic pathology, these are different things. The cause was the restraint; the heart disease was a factor that made him more vulnerable to that restraint.
The medical reality is that humans need air. When you prevent a person from getting it for nearly ten minutes, the body eventually gives up.
To get a deeper understanding of the legal repercussions of these medical findings, you should look into the specific jury instructions given in the Chauvin trial regarding "substantial factor" in a death. It bridges the gap between the medical "how" and the legal "why."