Fact check: Arrest video, autopsy contradict claim that George Floyd’s death was staged

The claim: The real George Floyd died five years ago and his death was staged by a twin brother, a man without a chest tattoo

As the verdict was reached in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who was found guilty on all charges in the murder of George Floyd, there is a Facebook post that claims the death was staged.

An April 19 post compares two images: one is a Black man with a tattoo on his chest and the other a man without a chest tattoo.

“The George Floyd on the left is the real one. He died some 5 years prior to the fake George Floyd death we know of today,” reads the caption. “The George Floyd on the right is actually Georges twin brother playing him. Notice the real George on the left had a large chest tattoo. His twin brother on the right does not have a tattoo.”

The post claims the twin brother is a crisis actor.

“He is now hiding out in London until everything blows over and the deep state can kick off a race war in this country,” it reads.

Fact check: Minnesota police association covering Chauvin’s defense, not Trump

USA TODAY reached out to the poster for further comment.

George Floyd autopsy report

According to the Associated Press, Floyddied on May 25, 2020, at age of 46 after Chauvin knelt on his neck for more than nine minutes, an arrest that was caught on camera and that drew outrage across the country and the world.

An autopsy report from the Hennepin County medical examiner’s office confirms the date and time of his death.

Floyd “became unresponsive while being restrained by law enforcement officers,” according to the report.

The medical examiner’s report listed “cardiopulmonary arrest complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint and neck compression” as the cause of death, USA TODAY reported.

A private funeral for Floyd was held at the Fountain of Praise Church in Houston on June 9, 2020.

Fact check: Fentanyl present in George Floyd’s system but not enough to cause his death, experts say

George Floyd had three brothers, Philonise Floyd, Terrence Floyd and Rodney Floyd.

Image of arrest does not show man without a chest tattoo

The image in the post purports to show the Floyd on the right had no visible chest tattoos compared to the Floyd on the left, implying they are two different people.

Videos of the arrest show otherwise. 

On a YouTube video posted by NBC News NOW of the arrest, the tattoo can be seen, although slightly pixelated, starting at minute 4:42 and can be seen a little more clearly as Floyd gets closer to the camera.

Fact check: Derek Chauvin did not have hand in his pocket while kneeling on George Floyd

The autopsy report also details the tattoo on Floyd’s chest.

“A 42 cm maximum dimension monochromatic blue tattoo of an eagle holding a rifle spans the upper chest, from shoulder to shoulder and from the inferior neck to the distal sternum,” reads the report.

Our rating: False

The claim that the real George Floyd died five years ago and that his death was staged by a twin brother, who did not have a chest tattoo on the day of the arrest, is FALSE, based on our research. Floyd was pronounced dead on May 25, 2020, at 9:25 p.m. according to an autopsy report. Videos of the arrest show the chest tattoo, and the autopsy report details the tattoo as well.

Our fact-checking sources:

  • Associated Press, May 26, 2020, “Four officers fired after black man dies in Minneapolis police custody and video shows an officer kneeling on his neck”
  • Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office, June 1, 2020, George Floyd autopsy report
  • USA TODAY, June 1, 2020, “Medical examiner and family-commissioned autopsy agree: George Floyd’s death was a homicide”
  • USA TODAY, June 9, 2020, “Funeral for George Floyd held in Houston”
  • Buie’s Funeral Home, accessed April 20, George Perry Floyd Jr. Obituary
  • Getty Images, June 10, 2020, photo of Philonise Floyd
  • Getty Images, Oct. 14, 2020, photo of Terrence Floyd
  • Getty Images, June 9, 2020, photo of Rodney Floyd
  • NBC News, April 20, “Rodney Floyd reacts to Chauvin verdict: ‘I’m feeling tears of joy'”
  • Associated Press, March 21, “George Floyd kin joins protest anthem album project”
  • NBC News NOW on YouTube, June 1, 2020, “New Security Video Shows Events Leading Up To George Floyd’s Arrest”
  • USA TODAY on YouTube, June 9, 2020, Funeral for George Floyd held in Houston

Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here.

Our fact check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook.

Source: Read Full Article