George Floyd memorial in Minneapolis set for when 3 cops appear in court to face new charges in ‘I can’t breathe’ death

All four former cops are in custody.

In addition to the memorial in Minneapolis on Thursday, a second memorial for Floyd will be held Saturday in North Carolina, where he was born.

On Monday, Floyd’s family is hosting a viewing in Houston, where Floyd grew up. His funeral is scheduled for the following day.

A lawyer for Floyd’s family, Ben Crump, said earlier this week that apparent Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is expected to attend the funeral. The Biden campaign has not confirmed that.

The Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office has ruled that Floyd was the victim of a homicide, with the cause of death being cardiopulmonary arrest complicated by police restraining him and compressing his neck.

The ME’s autopsy noted that Floyd had “other significant conditions,” including “arteriosclerotic and hypertensive heart disease; fentanyl intoxication; recent methamphetamine use.” The autopsy said Floyd also tested positive for the coronavirus in early April.

An independent autopsy performed at the request of Floyd’s family also found that he died from a homicide. But unlike the ME’s report, that other autopsy found that Floyd died as the result of asphyxiation from sustained pressure on his neck and back.

“Sustained pressure on the right side of Mr. Floyd’s carotid artery impeded blood flow to the brain, and weight on his back impeded his ability to breathe,” a statement from the family said.

“The independent examiners found that weight on the back, handcuffs and positioning were contributory factors because they impaired the ability of Mr. Floyd’s diaphragm to function.”

Article source: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/06/04/george-floyd-minneapolis-memorial-same-time-as-police-court-hearing.html