Asphyxia Explained: The Scientific Perspective of George Floyd's Death

A private autopsy report has determined that George Floyd's death was due to mechanical asphyxia.

Last May 25 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, a police officer pressed his knee onto Floyd's neck while he was pinned to the ground. Floyd was in this position for several minutes as he cried that he could no longer breathe. The independent autopsy reported that in addition to the pressure from the knee on his neck, the weight put on his back by the arresting officer was a factor too. 

What is asphyxia?

Asphyxia is a condition where the oxygen supply to the blood and tissues becomes insufficient due to interference with respiration. Central Michigan University associate professor Harold Bell explained that if you experience asphyxia, you will lose consciousness immediately. For the most part, when a person is deprived of oxygen for a certain duration, the brain starts to experience some form of dysfunction. 

This was also explained by Dr. Mark Conroy of the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in the same article. He said that losing consciousness while robbed of oxygen will lead to traumatic brain injury and, in worse cases, death.

Mechanical Asphyxia: Floyd's Demise Explained

There are many types of asphyxia, but mechanical asphyxia--Floyd's cause of death--is brought about by an intense compression of the neck and chest. As defined by Bell, mechanical asphyxia, or traumatic asphyxia, is asphyxia as previously defined caused by some form of mechanical obstruction, which in Floyd's case is the compression in his neck.

The most common cause of mechanical asphyxia is choking, which happens either when someone chokes on something that blocks the airway or when someone is being strangled by an external force--a person or, in suicidal cases, maybe a rope. 

In the latter, the external force could sometimes cause a person's airways to break, then leading to asphyxia.

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Why did initial reports say that Floyd did not die of asphyxia?

Initially, a report released by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner last Monday, June 1, indicated that the North Carolinian-native didn't die due to asphyxiation.

Instead, the findings mentioned that Floyd passed away due to "cardiopulmonary arrest complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression." The medical examiner's autopsy also talked about "arteriosclerotic and hypertensive heart disease; fentanyl intoxication; [and] recent methamphetamine use."

This official autopsy from the Hennepin County Medical Examiner received backlash that sparked across the country. 

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Prosecutors stressed that the victim had critical health conditions, which included hypertensive heart disease and coronary artery disease. They said that what likely contributed to his death were the following: underlying heart conditions, potential intoxicants found in his systems, and being restrained by the police.

Independent Autopsy Report

However, Floyd's family attorney Antonio Romanucci said that the results would still be the same even if he had taken medications or if he were intoxicated. 

Michael Baden and Allecia Wilson spearheaded the family-commissioned autopsy.

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