George Floyd died of lack of oxygen, not drugs, trial told

GEORGE Floyd is most likely to have died from oxygen deprivation rather than a heart attack or a drug overdose, his murder trial heard yesterday.

Dr Bradford Langenfeld – who pronounced Mr Floyd dead in hospital – said hypoxia was the ‘most likely’ cause.

He told the Minneapolis court: ‘There was no obvious, significant external trauma that would have suggested he suffered anything that could produce bleeding to lead to a cardiac arrest.

‘Based on the history that was available to me, I felt that hypoxia was one of the more likely possibilities.’

The evidence is significant as lawyers defending Derek Chauvin are expected to argue Mr Floyd, pictured, died of a heart attack or a drug overdose, not from suffocation caused by the officer’s knee-to-neck restraint.

His death triggered huge Black Lives Matter protests across the world.

Giving evidence yesterday in the second week of Chauvin’s trial, Dr Langenfeld said Mr Floyd did not have a pulse when paramedics arrived and began CPR. They tried to resuscitate the 46-year-old for 30 minutes, jurors were told.

Later in the hearing, Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo said police officers were required to undergo training courses once a year.

Prosecutors produced a document signed by Chauvin in which he said he agreed to follow the force’s policies, including a requirement for officers to be courteous and polite.

Chief Arradondo, who became the first black leader of Minneapolis police in 2017, also said officers should announce their intention to use physical force as part of a policy of de-escalation.

Chauvin has pleaded not guilty to murder and manslaughter charges. The trial is expected to last two more weeks.