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Revelation of new George Floyd death video 2:48
(CNN) - An independent autopsy found that George Floyd's death was a homicide and that the unarmed black man died of "sustained pressure suffocation."
The autopsy says that compression of Floyd's neck and back led to a lack of blood flow to his brain.
Floyd was essentially "dead on the scene" in Minneapolis on May 25, said Ben Crump, an attorney for the Floyd family. Multiple videos of Floyd's death show former police officer Derek Chauvin's knee on Floyd's neck, along with other officers kneeling on his back.
Chauvin had his knee on Floyd's neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds total and two minutes and 53 seconds after Floyd lost consciousness, according to a criminal complaint issued by the Hennepin County District Attorney's Office.
"The ambulance was his hearse," Crump told reporters Monday. "George died because he needed breathing. I needed an air breath. ”
"There is no other health problem that can cause or contribute to death," said Dr. Michael Baden, one of the independent medical examiners. “The police have the false impression that if you can speak, you can breathe. That is not true".
CNN contacted Hennepin County officials after the press conference for comment.
A homicide is the death of one person caused by another person. Includes murder and manslaughter.
Chauvin is charged with two counts of second-degree manslaughter. Crump said he should be charged with first-degree murder.
The independent autopsy findings come after the Hennepin County medical examiner found no "physical findings" to "support a diagnosis of traumatic suffocation or strangulation," according to the criminal complaint.
Preliminary autopsy results cited in the complaint said the combined effects of being restricted, any potential intoxicants in Floyd's system, and his underlying health problems, including heart disease, likely contributed to his death. Toxicology results can take weeks.
Floyd's cause and death are still pending and are being investigated by local, state and federal police, the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office said in a statement.
CNN's Stephanie Gallman, Artemis Moshtaghian and Hollie Silverman contributed to this report.
George Floyd