George Floyd's Latest Autopsy Reveals He Tested Positive for COVID-19

Floyd's family attorney Benjamin Crump disagrees with the latest autopsy report.

An autopsy released to the public by George Floyd’s family reveals he tested positive for COVID-19. 

According to the report, the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office noted a postmortem nasal swab confirmed Floyd had the deadly disease for roughly two months after testing positive in April. Additionally, the autopsy made it clear he was most likely an asymptomatic carrier. It read the virus “can persist for weeks after the onset and resolution of clinical disease.”

COVID-19 was not listed as a cause of Floyd’s death. His cause of death was expressed as: “cardiopulmonary arrest complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression.” This was echoed in the county’s preliminary autopsy report released last week. Separately, a private autopsy spearheaded by Floyd’s family found that his death was a “homicide caused by asphyxia.” 

Attorney Benjamin Crump who is representing the Floyd family is challenging the county’s latest autopsy report. He alleges officials are attempting to skew the public’s perspective of what led to Floyd’s death, reports the Associated Press. “It is an attempt to assassinate his character, after they assassinated him right then on the video.”

Crump also said, "The cause of death was that he was starving for air. It was lack of oxygen. And so everything else is a red herring to try to throw us off.”

Additionally, the latest report revealed the victim suffered from numerous natural diseases. Those include severe arteriosclerotic heart disease and hypertensive heart disease. Floyd also had blunt force injuries on his forehead, face, upper lip, shoulders, hands, elbows, and legs. Prior to his death, he also suffered from a broken rib. A toxicology report highlighted Floyd had fentanyl and methamphetamine in his system.

Nine days ago on May 25, Floyd was fatally injured while in the custody of officers of the Minneapolis police department. We previously reported the incident recorded by bystanders who questioned the officers, mainly Derek Chauvin who had his knee on Floyd’s neck for over eight minutes. Floyd declared “I can’t breathe!” during the troubling footage. An additional clip featured two additional police officers pinning him down by his torso and legs. In total, four officers who were a part of the killing have been arrested. Chauvin has been charged with second degree murder, the others have been charged as well.

You can read the entire report here.