Looking at the video:
Guy alive when knee went on neck. Guy clearly saying he cant breathe. Dead by the time knee came off 8 minutes
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Rule of thumb: if you can talk, you can breathe. I did not get the sense in watching this video that Mr. Floyd was unable to breathe. My reaction was that he was very high on drugs or alcohol or both and that he was rambling incoherently. In fact, in the first video that shows his initial arrest, you can hear him rambling incoherently as well.
The autopsy will tell the story. The fact that the initial autopsy was inconclusive requiring more laboratory testing suggests to me that this is not a clear-cut case. As an attorney, I have been involved in many homicide investigations where everybody initially thought the cause of death was X and the autopsy showed the cause of death was Y. I would also point out that the police officers called for an ambulance before the knee to the neck. Obviously, they believe he needed immediate medical attention of some sort. Again, I am completely open minded. But until I see the autopsy, and video showing what happened that prompted the officers to pin Mr. Floyd down, I will withhold judgment.
Good post...
If it was clear cut they would have arrested the officer by now. Interesting he was taken down next to the police car......could be he was resisting getting into the vehicle.
‘I did not get the sense in watching this video that Mr. Floyd was unable to breathe.’
so if someone says to you ‘I can’t breathe’, based on something you are doing to that person, you feel it is up to him to prove to you that he can’t breathe...?
He quit moving and talking and cop kept knee there even after he was told blood coming from nose
“If you can talk, you can breathe.”
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When people are experiencing shortness of breath or respiratory distress, they can often still talk. They use two or three words to tell you that. And what they say is “I can’t breathe.” Using short sentences is a diagnostic characteristic of respiratory distress.
If George Floyd were saying “I can’t breathe because you have your knee on my neck you cracker mofo,” you could say he was still breathing pretty well. If he said “I am experiencing some degree of respiratory distress and it seems to be getting worse,” ditto.
When he says, “I can’t breathe,” that is” what people in true respiratory distress say. As do people having panic attacks (except they tend to use lots of words) or people trying to rattle cops.
When he becomes silent, limp, unresponsive and incontinent, well, it looks like he was both truthful and correct.
No more BS about if you can talk, you can breathe. I have seen too many patients go south after telling me they can’t breathe.
“Can’t. Breathe.” “Hard to breathe.” “Hurts.” If anyone ever talks like that to you, please call them an ambulance and help them into a position of comfort. Don’t tell them they are breathing just fine.