Chief medical examiner, Andrew Baker, who conducted the autopsy on George Floyd’s body, while testifying in court during former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin’s trial, said the consumption of drugs or the heart disease Floyd suffered from were not the “direct causes” of his death. 

Baker said that Floyd died because of “restraint and neck compression” at the trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin, reported AFP.

He said he purposefully did not watch the viral video of Derek Chauvin pressing his knee on George Floyd’d neck because he did not want to create any “bias” during the examination. Baker wrote the reason for death as “cardiopulmonary arrest complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression” on the death certificate. 

Also Read: George Floyd died from lack of oxygen, says doctor at Derek Chauvin trial

“Mr Floyd’s use of fentanyl did not cause the subdual or neck restraint. His heart disease did not cause the subdual or the neck restraint. They are not direct causes, they are contributing causes,” Baker said.

According to Baker, Floyd had a slightly enlarged heart and a narrowing of his coronary arteries. Further talking about the incident, he said that before the police handcuffed Floyd, he got into a mini fight with them on why he was being arrested. 

Also Read: Derek Chauvin used ‘deadly force’: Court hears during George Floyd trial

Baker added, “Those events are going to cause stress hormones to pour out into your body, specifically things like adrenaline. “And what that adrenaline is going to do is it’s going to ask your heart to beat faster.”

“It’s going to ask your body for more oxygen so that you can get through that altercation. And in my opinion, the law enforcement subdual, restraint and the neck compression was just more than Mr Floyd could take by virtue of those heart conditions,” he added. 

The prosecutors are trying to prove Floyd’s death was due to asphyxiation and have thus called several medical experts. 

A veteran forensic pathologist Lindsey Thomas also testified on Friday. She said, “This is not a sudden cardiac death.” She believed the “primary mechanism” of Floyd’s death was “asphyxia or low oxygen” caused by compression of his chest by the policemen on his neck and back, reported AFP. 

The defence is trying to prove that Floyd died due to the consumption of illegal drugs fentanyl and methamphetamine and other underlying health conditions.

Three other former police officers involved in the arrest are to be tried separately later this year.

The 19-year veteran of the Minneapolis Police Department, Derek Chauvin may face up to 40 years in jail if he is found guilty of the murder of George Floyd. He was earlier fired from the force. 

After a skirmish over Floyd passing a fake $20 bill, Chauvin pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck for about nine minutes while the now deceased black kept complaining that “he cannot breath” on May 25, 2020.   

Three other former police officers involved in the arrest are to be tried separately later this year.