George Floyd, Minus the Politics

The death of George Floyd was indeed an unfortunate incident. No human being should die under these circumstances. However, God affords us free will. This free will allows us to make decisions about how we live our lives and behave. We are free to worship as we believe or not, to live as law-abiding citizens, commit crimes, and even kill other human beings. But we are also accountable for our decisions and behaviors. Accountability comes through the criminal justice system, and ultimately God, as we all face a final judgment day.

Like all humans, George Floyd had the freedom to make choices. Unfortunately, many of those choices were dangerous to his well-being. His involvement with illicit drugs and crime connected him to violent environments, which increased the chances of Floyd falling victim to violent people and exposure to serious health risks. A review of Floyd's background and criminal history reveals a long criminal record, with some of those crimes violent in nature. Many crimes also included the possession and or use of illicit drugs.

On the day of George Floyd's death, police received a call about someone exhibiting poor behavior in a local store, while passing counterfeit money in making a purchase. Recently released police body-cam video revealed George Floyd was not cooperating with the police that responded to the scene. This body-cam footage was not previously released to the public. Responding officers asked Floyd if he was under the influence of any drugs, he replied “no.” The behaviors observed by the officers led them to believe Floyd was under the influence. Most experienced law enforcement officers and investigators know that certain drugs create specific symptoms, such as shortness of breath, and can also lead to increased heart rates for users.

While working as a crime scene investigator, I investigated multiple death cases similar to Floyd's. There was no evidence of foul play, no obvious physical injuries, no wounds, no weapons found, and no drugs or drug paraphernalia evidence at the scenes. Each case, and the crime scenes involved, provided no physical evidence of the cause or manner of death of the individuals. As investigators, we knew we would depend on the autopsy and toxicology results to determine cause, manner, and mechanism of death.

With most of these cases, the autopsies revealed physical abnormalities within various organs of the victims. While some victims had enlarged hearts or sustained strokes with cerebral hemorrhages, other issues, such as disease-related factors, existed. Most suffered from coronary heart disease, with arteries clogged from between 95% and 98%. For example, the autopsy of a female victim approximately 35 years of age revealed that every artery associated with her heart was clogged to nearly 98%. Clogged arteries place tremendous stress on the heart, as it is difficult for the heart to pump blood through these narrow openings. Interviews with witnesses identified as family members and close friends of the victim advised the victim would often be observed out of breath simply walking from one room to another within her home. The medical examiner who performed the autopsy advised that he was surprised she was even alive with the level of blockage she possessed.

While this was a serious physical issue that can cause death, it was not the only contributing factor that led to the death of the victim. The toxicology reports that followed the autopsies of multiple victims revealed high levels of methamphetamines and cocaine in the victims' systems. The illicit drug usage by the victims, in addition to physical health issues, led to medical examiners advising that illicit drugs contributed to the victims' deaths. The drug use would have increased the heart rates of the victims.

With their hearts already overworked in pumping blood through the clogged arteries, it created considerable stress on these organs. In cases such as this, I often explain the deaths of the victims as a “perfect storm” situation. The term perfect storm refers to a bad or critical situation arising from many negative and unpredictable factors. The George Floyd incident was exactly that, multiple negative and unpredictable factors leading to an extremely bad situation, which ultimately led to George Floyd's death.

The underlying health issues of George Floyd, which included coronary heart disease, hypertension, and COVID-19 infection, combined with being under the influence of dangerous levels of illicit drugs, and the physical exertion caused by the police arrest, all contributed to Floyd's death. The toxicology report revealed fentanyl levels nearly four times the levels found in the deaths of others. The dangerous fentanyl drug is 80 to 200 times as potent as morphine, with rapid onset of action and addictive properties. Shortness of breath is a common symptom for those using fentanyl. This was explained by a medical professional interviewed within the Fall of Minneapolis documentary video. Floyd was also heard advising he could not breathe multiple times, including before being placed on the ground at his request.

If you watched the recently released documentary, you will clearly see that George Floyd ingested illicit drugs during the arrest to avoid police detection (Alpha News, 2023). Floyd had also ingested drugs in a previous vehicle stop with police. This is a dangerous act often performed by those stopped by police. The illicit drugs in Floyd's system, combined with physical abnormalities, such as Floyd’s heart disease, which narrowed his arteries, making it difficult for Floyd's heart to properly circulate the blood in Floyd’s system, led to his inability to breathe properly. The physical exertion due to the arrest only increased Floyd's heart rate, placing additional stress on Floyd's heart. The medical examiner advised that if George Floyd had been found at home under different circumstances, the death would have likely been ruled an overdose.

The body-cam footage was very telling and provided a minute-by-minute accounting of what transpired during the arrest but was withheld from the public. Those working in the policing field often observe or hear citizens call for the use of body cameras by police agencies for transparency reasons. Knowing this, why would this type of evidence be intentionally withheld?

It is disturbing that this body-cam evidence was withheld from the public for so long. It is also disturbing that the Minneapolis Police Department leadership was untruthful during their testimony in court in advising that the Maximal Restraint Technique (MRT) used by the officers on the scene was not part of Minneapolis Police Department policies and procedures, when it was not only acceptable, but documented in their training materials. Both trained police officers and training officers within the Minneapolis Police Department confirmed the maximal restraint technique was a technique authorized by the Minneapolis Police Department. It was also unfortunate that all this information, including the Minneapolis Police Department training manuals, was not allowed as evidence in court, with the key piece of evidence being Officer Chauvin using the technique on Floyd in a photo. The restraint technique being acceptable by the agency would explain why other officers near where Floyd was being held on the ground did nothing to stop the use of the technique. It was simply a common practice and part of officer training. He was simply placed in the authorized hold while officers awaited Emergency Medical Service (EMS) arrival.

I would encourage those interested in the case and the truth to review the Fall of Minneapolis documentary and George Floyd's autopsy report. George Floyd was not the victim of a murder, as many would have you believe (Hennepin County, 2020). The United States Department of Justice defines murder as the "unlawful killing of a human being with malice" (U.S. Department of Justice, 2024). In turn, malice refers to intentionally causing harm without justification for doing so. Proving intent is not easy, and the evidence provided through the video does not reveal intent by the officers involved.

President Joe Biden recently addressed a graduating class of students at Moorehouse College, speaking of the George Floyd murder in another attempt to stoke the flames of racial divide in this country. It is now well known that the unfortunate death of George Floyd was not a murder. Political leaders should provide complete transparency, and not exploit the death of a citizen for political gain.

I will simply say, based on my experience with multiple death investigations similar to the death of George Floyd, and in combination with the Floyd autopsy and toxicology reports, George Floyd did not die as a direct result of a police restraint; it was the direct result of a perfect storm, a combination of many factors. Floyd's underlying health issues, the presence of dangerous illicit drugs in Floyd's system, and the exertion caused by the physical arrest of Floyd were the causal factors in his death.

George Floyd played "Russian Roulette" daily. His health issues, his involvement in criminal activities, and illicit drug use regularly placed him in dangerous situations. It is unfortunate that both George Floyd and this incident were exploited for political purposes. It is time for all Americans to see the false reporting for what it is.

Dr. Richard English

References

Alpha News. (2023). The fall of Minneapolis. [YouTube]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFPi3EigjFA

Hennepin County. (2020). Autopsy Report. https://www.hennepin.us/-/media/hennepinus/residents/public-safety/medical-examiner/floyd-autopsy-6-3-20.pdf

Tasnim News Agency. (2020). Leaked Footage of George Floyd's Arrest Reveals New Disturbing Detail. [Image]. https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2020/08/04/2320671/leaked-footage-of-george-floyd-s-arrest-reveals-new-disturbing-detail

U.S. Department of Justice. (2024). 1536. Murder -- Definition And Degrees. https://www.justice.gov/archives/jm/criminal-resource-manual-1536-murder-definition-and-degrees