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Then you’ll trust the independent forensics examination of Mr. Floyd, right?

First, let’s take a stroll down memory lane. My multiple posts all said “let’s wait for all of the facts” and “I have an open mind” and “I want to see 2 pieces of evidence: the autopsy and the police body cam video.” In response, I had several comments along the lines of: “What are we going to learn from an autopsy” and “we don’t need to see more video” because we saw the officer pin Floyd down by his neck.

Now, what did we learn from two pieces of evidence that I was asking about. Well, from the autopsy, we learned that Floyd did NOT die from “I can’t breathe.” He did NOT die from strangulation or asyphyxia, i.e., a lack of oxygen. He died from underlying heart disease and drugs in his system, and POSSIBLY the officers’ actions. Second, we learned that Mr. “I can’t breathe” was resisting being put in a squad car, screaming “I’m claustrophobic” and “I can’t breathe”—in a situation where he could clearly BREATHE. In other words, Mr. Floyd was very likely high on PCP or a similar drug, was “tripping” and the officers pinned him down for his own safety and the safety of others.

Now, with that said, I have pointed out quite clearly that two things can be true: the officer used excessive force (perhaps even ridiculous force) on Mr. Floyd, but this excessive force did NOT cause the death. The DA was holding off on charging Officer Chauvin, at least until his house was under siege by Antifa. This charging document basically says: We do not yet have proof beyond a reasonable doubt that Chauvin’s actions contributed to the death of Mr. Floyd. Again, I am not saying that the officer will be acquitted. The full autopsy has not been completed. I want more facts before I make a judgment.

As to your question: An “independent” autopsy is not “independent” if an interested party pays for it. That would be like Officer Chauvin’s legal team hiring an “independent” medical examiner. The Hennepin County coroner is not a cop. I have dealt with medical examiners before. As a defense lawyer, the medical examiners will always discuss their findings with me. They don’t play games. They do not take sides.

The whole reason I went out on a limb on this case is because I have experience in similar cases. I knew right off the bat that Floyd could BREATHE. I could also tell via his behavior that he was on drugs of some sort. In short, cities are burning because the media/social media/and emotional people jumped to the conclusion that this guy was killed by the officers when, in fact, that isn’t at all clear.