The Commercial Appeal

Expert blames Floyd’s death on heart problem

Testimony contradict­s previous opinions

- Amy Forliti, Steve Karnowski and Tammy Webber

MINNEAPOLI­S – George Floyd died of a sudden heart rhythm problem due to his heart disease while being restrained by police, a retired forensic pathologis­t testified for the defense Wednesday at former Officer Derek Chauvin’s murder trial, contradict­ing experts who said Floyd succumbed to a lack of oxygen from the way he was pinned down.

Dr. David Fowler, a former chief medical examiner for the state of Maryland and now a member of a consulting firm, said the fentanyl and methamphet­amine in Floyd’s system, and possible carbon monoxide poisoning from auto exhaust, were contributi­ng factors.

“All of those combined to cause Mr. Floyd’s death,” Fowler said on the second day of the defense case.

He also testified that he would classify the manner of death “undetermin­ed,” rather than homicide as the county’s chief medical examiner ruled. Fowler said the death had too many conflicting factors, some of which could be ruled homicide and some that could be considered accidental.

Chauvin attorney Eric Nelson is trying to prove that the 19-year Minneapoli­s police veteran did what he was trained to do and that Floyd died because of his illegal drug use and underlying health problems.

Prosecutor­s say Floyd died because Chauvin’s knee was pressed against Floyd’s neck or neck area for 91⁄2 minutes as the 46-year-old Black man lay pinned to the pavement on his stomach in May, his hands cuffed behind his back.

Fowler listed a multitude of factors: Floyd’s narrowed arteries, his enlarged heart, his high blood pressure, his drug use, the stress of his restraint, the vehicle exhaust, and a tumor or growth in his lower abdomen that can sometimes play a role in high blood pressure by releasing “fight-or-flight” hormones.

Fowler said all of those factors could have acted together to cause Floyd’s heart to work harder and suddenly stop.

Previous witnesses have noted that a sudden heart rhythm problem does not necessaril­y produce visible signs on autopsy but can be inferred from circumstan­ces such as a victim suddenly clutching one’s chest and collapsing.

Nelson questioned Fowler about carbon monoxide, which displaces oxygen in the bloodstrea­m of people who breathe it in. Fowler said it could have contribute­d to oxygen depletion in Floyd, noting that he was facing the tailpipe end of a vehicle. But there is no way to know for sure because, he acknowledg­ed, Floyd’s blood was never tested for carbon monoxide.

Fowler handled a case similar to Floyd’s in Maryland in 2018, when a 19year-old Black man, Anton Black, died after three officers and a civilian pinned him for more than five minutes as they handcuffed him and shackled his legs.

The family brought a federal lawsuit that included Fowler, whose autopsy concluded that the stress of the struggle probably contribute­d to Black’s death but found no evidence that restraint directly caused it. It also found no evidence of asphyxia, or a lack of oxygen.

 ?? KEREM YUCEL/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES ?? An attorney is trying to prove that George Floyd died last May because of his illegal drug use and underlying health problems.
KEREM YUCEL/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES An attorney is trying to prove that George Floyd died last May because of his illegal drug use and underlying health problems.

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