Anyone that's arrested should of course be treated well but maintaining control of the suspect was still necessary, especially if he resisted and was acting erratic. The issue of negligence could be made when Chauvin placed his knee on the back of Floyd's neck for too long, but he's being charged with 2nd degree murder so a prosecution is going to have to prove intent. Because handcuffed suspects can still pose a threat, the prosecution has an uphill battle to go through considering the fact Floyd died of essentially a heart attack, not strangulation.
Yes the deceased had a previous heart condition, yes he was under the influence of drugs.
Would he have died that day, just walking on the pavement, going by his day if the police didnt restrain and suffocate him ? That is the question to answer.
The cop is charged with 2nd-degree murder but also to 3rd-degree manslaughter (easier to prove).
I'll copy this here :
Dr. Stephen Nelson, chairman of Florida’s medical examiners commission, agreed. Even if someone with severe heart disease died of a heart attack during a purse-snatching, “we’d still call it a homicide,” he said.
Also, on an almost funny note :
“The coronavirus had nothing to do with his death, that’s the important thing.”
(FYI the autopsy deteced that Floyd, had Covid19, but it didn't kill him)
The autopsy says Floyd tested positive for the new coronavirus on April 3 and that a nose swab during the autopsy found signs of the virus
source :
https://globalnews.ca/news/7029209/george-floyd-autopsy-experts/