The whole thing about him saying he couldn't breathe is a non-sequitur and is being used dishonestly by the apologists for the Police State. He probably was having difficulty breathing, but what most likely killed him was not suffocation. It was lack of blood to the brain, because the cop was applying a great deal of pressure to the carotid artery.
Sheesh. Do some of you folks understand that there are 4 (FOUR) main arteries perfusing the brain in humans? Two carotids and two vertebrals? That these 4 arteries all feed into the “circle of Willis”, a central distribution point that in turn provides blood flow to the brain and upper spinal cord? That there are lots of older folk wandering around with a carotid artery completely obstructed by atherosclerotic plaque, and that these people typically appear to be functioning quite well, thank you? Do you understand how difficult it would be to completely obstruct carotid flow by lateral compression? As opposed to using an anterior approach? Can you feel your own carotid pulse from where you think the cop’s knee would have been pressing? Does that tell you anything about the likely cause of death in this massive former semi-pro football player?
IMO, the real story here concerns the widespread ignorance and/or dishonesty of the press reports of this sad event. Did anyone else here read about the results of the autopsy, about the pending toxicology studies, or perhaps more on point, the account of the deceased’s life in the Daily Mail? It all makes interesting reading. The reports of the autopsy and toxicology studies released thus far suggest the cause of death was not CNS ischemia, but more likely it reflects cardiac events. The report in the British press leads me to want to find a different root cause here, and ultimately blame this whole mess on the actions of the department of corrections in Texas, for having cut him loose in the first place. How many felonies does it take in Texas to get “life”?