A Modern Lynch Mob?
When I first saw the George Floyd video, my first reaction was the same as most people’s: I was horrified and saddened by the brutality and tragedy. I couldn’t repress revulsion at the loss of life that seemed to occur right before our very eyes.
Yet, even then, I had some reservations about what I had seen and what it meant.
My reservations grew from my experience in the management of all kinds of trauma including airway management. While practicing medicine, I had been ATLS certified. The ATLS designation stands for Advanced Trauma Life Support, and is awarded by the American College Of Surgeons following training and examinations. The certification attests to proficiency in the diagnosis and treatment of severe trauma, including airway obstruction. The reservations I had on the Floyd video arose from the experience that I had had “in the field”: simply put, it’s difficult, if not impossible, to strangle someone with pressure FROM JUST ONE SIDE. The trachea (airway) is quite rigid and when pressed from one side, simply shifts over while resisting collapse. My reservations were furthered by one of the exchanges between Floyd and Chauvin that can be heard of the audio. When Floyd is on his side on the pavement, he tells Chauvin that he “can’t breathe,” and Chauvin responds with a line that I myself have used to reassure dyspneic patients (those complaining of shortness of breath): “If you are moving enough air to talk, you are moving enough air to live.” These two considerations made me call into question the first impressions I had watching the video.
As it turns out, my reservations would be supported by more evidence as it came in. First, the medical examiner did NOT find a broken hyoid bone, which is something that almost always occurs with strangulation. Next, Floyd did NOT have evidence of retinal hemorrhages which also almost always occur during strangulation when the delicate vessels in the eye literally burst from the severe increase in pressure caused by the strangulation. Next, and of great importance, is that Floyd was found to have ELEVEN NANOGRAMS per milliliter of the extremely powerful narcotic fentanyl in his bloodstream. A level of three nanograms has been reported in fatal cases, so the amount of fentanyl that was PROVEN to be in Floyd’s blood stream was NEARLY FOUR TIMES the lethal dose! Next, when one looks at the video of Floyd being removed from his own vehicle, one can clearly see a white powder on his lips that would be fully consistent with fentanyl ingestion, explaining the lethal levels of the drug found in his blood.
Next, the video shows that Floyd begins complaining that he can’t breathe while he is in the back seat of the squad car, BEFORE there is any pressure what-so-ever on his airway. Why was he complaining of difficulty breathing? It turns out that chest wall rigidity is a VERY COMMON side effect of narcotics in general and fentanyl in particular. So it was the fentanyl that caused Floyd’s trouble breathing BEFORE Officer Chauvin applied any pressure to his neck. And, if the reader finds it difficult to believe that Floyd would ingest large quantities of a dangerous drug to avoid arrest, it turns out that that very same scenario took place with Floyd, as recorded by a police body camera, nearly a YEAR BEFORE, during a prior arrest!
No, ladies and gentlemen, Floyd did NOT die of asphyxia under the knee of Officer Chauvin. He died of a lethal dose of fentanyl that he ingested in the hope of concealing evidence to avoid arrest. Office Chauvin, in my opinion, has been unjustly accused of murder. Prosecutors might conceivably have grounds to accuse Chauvin of the use of excessive force, but even that accusation could be defended by pointing out that Floyd was incoherent and delirious and needed to be controlled, for his OWN safety as well as the safety of others. Multiple videos show that Floyd was of an extremely muscular build and might even be considered by some to be a “giant”, so controlling him could prove to be extremely difficult and even dangerous. Remember, as the video showed, Floyd exited the squad car on his own and got down on the pavement by himself. Even though as he was handcuffed at the time, an incoherent Floyd was still a DANGER TO HIMSELF, and as such, STILL needed to be controlled. While on the asphalt, if he wasn’t controlled, he could conceivably have rolled himself onto the roadway and have been hit by a vehicle, or he could have hurt himself in a myriad of other ways. And, by the way, in drug overdose situations, it is correct procedure to keep the drug user on their side to that if they vomit, they don’t aspirate vomitus.
So for all of the above reasons, I believe that Officer Chauvin should be acquitted. But, whether he will be acquitted or not is hard to say. No matter WHAT the evidence shows, most people I’ve talked to don’t expect that to happen. The mood of the times seems to go dramatically against him. There’s concern that rioting and violence will erupt should he be acquitted. Few people seemed to think that the judge and jury will be brave enough to let true justice prevail. And, if that’s so, one could say that Office Chauvin would be convicted on what would rightfully be called “EXTRAJUDICIAL GROUNDS,” not the true merits of the case. And, if that occurs, and the Officer is convicted NOT by the preponderance of the evidence, but other factors, how would that be any different from that archetypal “extrajudicial” process we have, unfortunately, seen during a previous dark period in American history: the LYNCH MOB?