Floyd’s family commissioned a second autopsy, carried out by Michael Baden, a pathologist and former New York City chief medical examiner who had autopsied Eric Garner,[72][73] and attended by Allecia Wilson, director of autopsy and forensic services at the University of Michigan Medical School.[74][75] He found that the “evidence is consistent with mechanical asphyxia as the cause of Floyd’s death”, and that the death was a homicide.[76][77][74] He said Floyd died from “asphyxia due to compression of the neck”, affecting “blood flow and oxygen going into the brain”, and also from “compression of the back, which interferes with breathing”.[65] He said Floyd had no underlying medical problem that caused or contributed to his death, and that being able to speak does not mean that someone is able to breathe.[78]
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