George Floyd's manner of death should be 'undetermined,' not homicide, pathologist testifies at Chauvin trial

George Floyd died from a cardiac arrhythmia asa resultof his heart disease with drugs andcarbon monoxidepoisoning contributing factors and his death should be classified as "undetermined,"a retired forensic pathologist testifiedWednesday.

David Fowler, a former Maryland chief medical examiner, was called as a witness for the defence on the 13th day ofthe murder trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. He offered acontrasting opinion with that of prosecution experts who have testified that theybelieve the 46-year-old Black mandied from lack of oxygen due to the way he was restrained by police.

Fowler also differed fromAndrew Baker,the Hennepin County medical examiner who conducted the autopsy on Floyd and ruled his manner of death to be ahomicide, which is applied when the actions of other people were involved in an individual's death.

Fowler, instead, said there weretoo many conflicting factors, some of which could be ruled homicide and some that could be considered accidental.

Should have given Floyd medical attention

However under cross-examination by the prosecution, Fowler admitted police should have given Floyd immediate medical attention once officers discovered Floyd had nopulse.

Floyd died on May 25, 2020, after Chauvin, who is white, pressed a knee on the back of his neck and back for aboutnine minutes as two other officers held him down face first onthe pavement while he was handcuffed. He had been detained outside a convenience store after being suspected of paying with a counterfeit bill.

Chauvin ison trial in Hennepin CountyDistrict Courton chargesof second-degree unintentional murder,third-degree murderand second-degree manslaughter in connection with the death of Floyd.

The prosecution saysChauvin pressing his knee intoFloyd's neck caused his death. But the defence arguesit was acombination of Floyd's underlying medical conditions, drug useand adrenaline flowing throughhis system that ultimatelykilledhim.

A number of medical experts called by prosecutors have said Floyd died from a lack of oxygen because his breathing was constricted by the way he was held down. A cardiology expert rejected the notion that Floyd died of heart problems, saying all indications were that he had "an exceptionally strong heart."

Baker, the medical examiner who conducted theautopsy, concluded that Floyd's cause of death was"cardiopulmonary arrest" that occurred in the course of "law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression." He testified last week that heart disease and fentanylin Floyd's system were contributing factors but not direct causes of his death.

Floyd had narrowed coronary arteriesabout 75 per cent blockage in his left anterior descending artery and 90 per cent blockage in his right coronary artery, Baker told the court. Floyd also had hypertensive heart disease, meaning his heart weighed slightly more than it should. Methamphetamine was also discovered in Floyd's system, although another prosecution witness testified last week that the level was low.

Fowler said Floyd's heart was vulnerable because it wastoo big, demandedlots of oxygenand hadnarrow vessels. He said methamphetamine also put his heart at riskof an arrhythmia and that fentanyl, whichslows down breathing,could lower the oxygen saturation in his blood.

Flow of adrenaline

As well, the fact thatFloyd had a pelvic tumour, known as aparaganglioma, which increases the flow ofadrenaline in the system,combined with the adrenaline produced from his struggles with police, all added pressure to his heart to cause him to suffer an arrhythmia, Fowler said.

There were"multiple multiple entities all acting together and adding to each other and taking awayfrom a different part of the ability to get oxygen into his heart," Fowler testified.

The defence spent significant time Wednesday advancing the theory that carbon monoxide from the gas pipe of the police car near which Floyd was pinned as a contributing factor inhisdeath.

Floyd's head was near the gas pipe as he was restrained by police. Although his blood was not tested for carbon monoxide, Fowler said studieshave shown aslittle as six per cent saturation with carbon monoxide in an individual who's exercising with heart disease could cause arrhythmias.

"So in Mr. Floyd, [it] robs him of an additional percentage of oxygen-carrying capacity, whether there be five per cent, 10 per cent, 15 per cent, it takes away from the important factor of getting blood to his heart muscle. So this is just another potential insult, another brick in the wall, unfortunately, for circumstances here."

Fowler also testifiedthat Chauvin's knee on Floyd's neck and back didn't impact any of the vital structures of Floyd's neck nor didFloyd complain of vision changes or other symptoms consistent with hypoxia, or insufficient oxygen to the brain, and that he was coherent until shortly before he suddenly stopped moving.

WATCH | Former medical examiner explains possible role of carbon monoxide in Floyd death:

Defence witness says carbon monoxide played role in Floyd's death

4 years ago

Duration 0:55

Defence witnessDavid Fowler, a former Maryland chief medical examiner, testified at the murder trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin that carbon monoxide played a role in the death of George Floyd, the 46-year-old man Chauvin is charged with killing.

'Undetermined' mannerof death

As for the mannerof Floyd's death,Fowler said some aspects at play in Floyd's death, such asdrug intoxication, would be considered accidental while others, such as the stressfulsituation he was put in while beingrestrained, compounded by his health problems, could be considered a homicide.

"And you put all of those together it's very difficult to say which of those is the most accurate. So I would fall back to undetermined."

Fowler was questioned at lengthby prosecutor Jerry Blackwell, who gothim to admitthat even someone who dies from being deprived of oxygen ultimately dies of an arrhythmia.

No data on carbon monoxide

Fowleralso admitted he had no data on how much carbon monoxide was actually released by the squad car on the scene of Floyd's arrest and could not definitively conclude whether or not the police car was running.

Fowler also acknowledged that there was a time when, while Floyd was still restrainedby the police but unresponsive, that he may have been revived.

"Do you feel that Mr. Floyd should have been given immediate emergency attention to try to reverse the cardiac arrest?"Blackwell asked.

"As a physician? I would agree," Fowler said.

"Are you critical of the fact that he wasn't given immediate emergency care when he went into cardiac arrest?" Blackwell asked.

"As a physician, I would agree," Fowler said.

WATCH | Prosecution questions witness on medical aid given to Floyd:

Prosecutor grills defence witness over life-saving measures denied to Floyd

4 years ago

Duration 0:44

Under questioning by prosecutor Jerry Blackwell, David Fowler, a former Maryland chief medical examiner, acknowledged that George Floyd should have been given immediate medical attention after police officers failed to detect a pulse in the man. Fowler was testifying at the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who is charged with murder in Floyd's death.