What appears on the outside may not be what killed him on the inside though. If the accusation is that the hold killed the guy, then the forensics should show HOW it killed him.
That’s not to say that the use of the hold in the first place is lawful; that’s another issue. But if the charge being considered is murder/manslaughter, then there should be some evidence that the hold did something that actually led to the death of the person.
Of course, if the autopsy concluded that it was homicide - death caused by the actions of another person - then apparently the coroner believed that there was evidence that the cop’s actions contributed to this man’s death. If we were on the Grand Jury we would have seen that evidence. As it is, we don’t know. If the evidence is released then we can evaluate whether the failure to indict was appropriate.
What stands out to me is that we don’t trust anybody. Which is a reasonable response to the corruption around us, but it makes it difficult for things to function. What the politicians should see is that where there is no means of accountability we will always have corruption and that breeds distrust. This is the bed that the politicians made when they let all the corruption go unchecked. That’s not to say that the rioters are justified - absolutely not. But when the means for lawful rule and accountability are lost, it’s like a pressure cooker with the heat turned up and no pressure release valve; they are playing with fire and when they see the condition of the society right now they should be realizing what they, in part, have wrought.1
Look, you can dance around this all ya want. Fact is this man would very likely be alive today if not for the fact he was overwhelmingly physically attacked over such a minor infraction.
The message is clear. Obey or else.