Derek Chauvin Trail: Doctors Take The Stand

Continuing with an update on the Derek Chauvin trial. The discussion has moved from eye witness testimonies to the cause of George Floyd’s death. The defense attorney argued that with the combination of Floyd’s health conditions that Chauvin could not have known about, there is a reasonable doubt whether he caused Floyd’s death. A number of Police Officers have said Chauvin’s actions were unnecessary as prosecutors try to convince the jury he acted with malice. Yesterday, Dr. Martin Tobin, a physician who has been working in respiratory physiology for 40 years said that Floyd died from a ‘low level of oxygen’ which caused brain damage and an abnormal heartbeat.

Tobin was called as an expert witness by prosecutors and examined records and video in the case but did not conduct an examination of Floyd’s body. He said he watched the videos hundreds of times and the combination of the cuffs behind Floyd’s back, the officers manipulation of the cuffs, and the pavement beneath Floyd combined to interfere with his ability to breathe. Today, the Hennepin County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Andrew Baker who performed Floyd’s autopsy will provide his testimony.