George Floyd died because officers detained him while he was lying down and handcuffed so he would not get enough oxygen, a breathing expert said Thursday in the trial against former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin.
“Mr. Floyd died of low oxygen, “said Martin Tobin, a pulmonologist affiliated with Hines Island Veterans Health Administration Hospital and Loyola University Medical Center. was presented to testify by prosecutors. “The cause of the low oxygen level was shallow breathing, small breaths.”
Dr. Tobin, who received no payment to testify and said he had seen video footage of Floyd’s arrest last hundred times, concluded that several factors impaired his breathing, including that he was among the agents and the hard street. while officers pushed his fisted hands over his back.
“It’s like the left side is on a turn,” Dr. Tobin said. “They were crushing him between the two sides.”
Dr. Tobin also stated that ill health and fentanyl did not play a decisive role in Mr. Floyd’s death. He also said that the fact that Mr. Floyd was speaking did not mean that he had no trouble breathing. The testimony went against many of the points the defense has been making, including that Mr. Floyd died due to a combination of heart disease and drugs.