The Hennepin County medical examiner said that a fentanyl overdose may have been the cause of George Floyd’s death, court documents suggest.
Chief Hennepin County Medical Examiner Dr. Andrew Baker said there was “no physical evidence suggesting that Mr. Floyd died of asphyxiation,” according to documents obtained by the court as part of a lawsuit from one of the officers involved in Floyd’s arrest, Tou Thao.
Baker determined that Floyd’s death was the result of a combination of factors. In a memorandum from June 1, Baker noted that Floyd’s fentanyl levels were “pretty high” and potentially fatal.
“[Baker] said that if Mr. Floyd had been found dead in his home (or anywhere else) and there were no other contributing factors he would conclude that it was an overdose death,” the memorandum stated.
Baker’s final determination listed Floyd’s death as a homicide because of the actions of the officers who restrained Floyd by kneeling on his neck. The Office of the Armed Forces Medical Examiner similarly determined that Floyd’s death was a homicide “caused by the police subdual and restraint in the setting of severe hypertensive atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, and methamphetamine and fentanyl intoxication.”
The June 1 memorandum noted that additional tests were still underway to complete the autopsy. An autopsy conducted on behalf of Floyd’s family determined the cause of death to be asphyxia as a result of the restraint used by officers.
Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, died May 25. Video of the moments before his death quickly went viral, sparking protests against police brutality and racial injustice throughout the country.
