George Floyd showed no signs of life by the time first responders arrived: EMS

George Floyd, the black Minneapolis man who died Monday during a police arrest, showed no signs of life by the time first responders and emergency medical staff arrived on scene, local emergency workers told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

Floyd was officially pronounced dead 90 minutes after the arrest, during which Officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck while the 46-year-old man pleaded with the officer that he was unable to breathe.

An incident report filed by the fire department began as a Code 2 to assist EMS on-scene, rather than a Code 3, which indicates a life-threatening situation, but bystanders told the firefighters who arrived that the police “had killed the man,” the report said.

Hennepin EMS arrived about six minutes after the initial distress call and loaded him into an ambulance on a gurney, removing the handcuffs once he was inside the vehicle.

“He still had an outside chance,” Hennepin Healthcare EMS Chief Marty Scheerer told the paper. “Even if it’s a super long shot, you’ve got to try your best.”

Scheerer added that he did not believe the first responders on the scene were aware Floyd’s life was in danger when they arrived.

“I don’t think the paramedics knew what was going on. They just saw a split second of what was happening,” he said. “Ultimately, if the police have somebody in custody, we have to get permission from them to work with on the patient.”

Two firefighters entered the ambulance while a medic was performing chest compressions and assisted setting up an IV and medications, according to the report.

“When someone is not breathing, every second counts,” Mark Lakosky, president of Minneapolis Fire Local 82, told the Star-Tribune. Floyd’s official time of death was recorded at 9:25 p.m.

Floyd’s death has sparked widespread outrage.

Four officers have been fired, but numerous people, including Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (D), have questioned why no one involved in Floyd’s death has been arrested.

Demonstrations in the Minnesota city over the incident have turned violent as protesters clashed with police, who fired rubber bullets and tear gas, on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The Justice Department said Thursday that an investigation into Floyd’s death is a “top priority” and is set to be conducted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and the FBI’s Minneapolis Field Office.