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For arguments sake we should probably rule out the knee on the side of the neck for 8 minutes as playing any role in his death. We should probably conduct an experiment. Any volunteers to do the full 8 minutes? Anyone? All right, how about 7 minutes...anyone? Someone? Bueller?

A retired officer I know demonstrated the technique on his wife to show her how deceptive the video was.

He asked her: Can you Breathe? She answered: yes.

He asked her: Are you in pain? She answered: no.

He asked her: Are you in discomfort? She answered: no.

He showed her how only light pressure was needed in the technique, to keep her from getting up.

He showed her how in the video, it appeared the knee was putting pressure on the neck, because of the camera angle, when it really wasn't.

I volunteer to be in the same position, with the retired officer demonstrating the technique on me, for nine minute. I would just take a nap.

Unfortunately, the officer is 2500 miles away.

The technique is designed to allow control of a person on the ground with minimal pressure.

You cannot tell how much pressure is being applied, by the video.

I'm guessing conditions for your friend's experiment were somewhat different than those that existed for Floyd (was she struggling? what sort of pressure was being exerted - you, yourself said we don't know and I mean, come on, it was his wife, he wasn't about to lean into it). That said, my comment included the phrase "contributed to his death". Given what all the medical examiners here at FR have to say about what caused/what may have caused/what likely caused/what could have caused Floyd's death, I would be willing to go out on a limb to say that, coupled with all the pre-existing/existing at the time conditions being experienced by Floyd, the officer's knee to his neck for 8 or so minutes definitely contributed to his ultimate death AND that the likelihood is quite, quite high that ANY juror sitting in a courtroom watching the full 8 minutes is going to agree with that rendering of events.

All a good DA will have to do is to utilize the same courtroom technique used by the attorneys who defended the LA cops in the Rodney King beating trial. If you didn't see it, the lawyers would play the video, stop after a second or two, ask a question of the officer about the procedure used, resume tape, stop tape after a few seconds, ask a question about procedure, allow for response by the officer, resume video. This testimony went on for what seemed hours all in an effort to show the officers had cause to continue their take-down. Envision that same courtroom tactic employed by a DA. Role tape, show Floyd on ground, stop tape, question witness (police training expert/medial expert), resume tape, repeat. When you get to the point in the tape where Floyd stops moving/resisting (when was that? minute 5?) continue the process. Show tape. Stop after a few seconds. Question witness. Continue this for 3 minutes-worth of "expert testimony." Any DA worth his salt will have that jury in tears.

We can talk all day long about this medical condition, that drug in his system, prior record...won't matter. That cop had him down using what I understand is an approved submission tactic (probably not going to be one that is allowed after all this is over), then he proceeded to maintain that tactic long after there was any need. Suspect died in custody. Arresting officer used unnecessary (not illegal - just unnecessary) force (at a certain point). Sounds like a fairly simple case.