Ex-cop’s lawyer: George Floyd overdosed on fentanyl

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• The lawyer of Thomas Lane, one of the four ex-Minneapolis police officers charged in the killing of George Floyd, claimed that Floyd overdosed on fentanyl the time he was arrested.
• Earl Gray said his client should be cleared.
• Lane’s bodycam showed Floyd complained “I can’t breathe” even before Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for nearly eight minutes.

The lawyer for one of the four ex-Minneapolis police officers charged in the killing of George Floyd is alleging that his client, Thomas Lane, should be cleared because Floyd overdosed on fentanyl during arrest.

Thomas Lane bodycam video of George Floyd’s arrest and death

Earl Gray said during Monday’s filing that the disappearance of a white spot on Floyd’s tongue in the body camera video looks like “2 milligrams of fentanyl, a lethal dose.”

The court documents read: “All he had to do is sit in the police car, like every other defendant who is initially arrested. While attempting to avoid his arrest, all by himself, Mr. Floyd overdosed on Fentanyl. Given his intoxication level, breathing would have been difficult at best. Mr. Floyd’s intentional failure to obey commands, coupled with his overdosing, contributed to his own death.”

Toxicology testing found fentanyl and methamphetamine in Floyd’s system, according to an autopsy report from the Hennepin County medical examiner.

Floyd died while in police custody on May 25 after ex-officer Derek Chauvin, who was recorded in a bystander’s video, kneeled on his neck for 7 minutes, 46 seconds — not the 8:46 that has become a symbol of police brutality. Floyd eventually lost consciousness when paramedics arrived, and was later pronounced dead at the Hennepin County Medical Center.

The medical examiner ruled the manner of death a homicide., the officer seen in the video with his knee on Floyd’s neck, faces charges of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao each face charges of aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.

All four officers were fired from the Minneapolis Police Department after the incident.

Gray previously filed two body-worn camera videos as evidence to dismiss charges against his client. Lane and Kueng, rookie officers at the time, were the first to arrive at the Cup Foods convenience store after a complaint was made about Floyd allegedly trying to use a fake $20 bill.

Source: New York Post