Second paramedic after initial assessment of Floyd: ‘I thought he was dead’

A second paramedic who responded to a call at the scene of George Floyd’s arrest testified on Thursday that after his initial assessment of Floyd, he “thought he was dead.”

When asked by prosecutor Erin Eldridge what Floyd’s overall condition appeared to be after observing him on the scene and checking his pulse and pupils, Derek Smith, a paramedic with the Hennepin County EMS, said “in lay terms, I thought he was dead.”

Smith’s testimony came on the fourth day in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who faces murder charges over Floyd’s death.

Smith, the third witness to take the stand during day four of the trial, said that when he arrived on the scene and walked up to Floyd, he “noticed he wasn’t moving. I didn’t see any chest rise or fall on this individual.”

When asked what he did next, Smith said he looked for his partner, and told him, “I think he’s dead.”

The witness added that Floyd was in handcuffs, and that there were three officers on top of him.

Smith said that after assessing Floyd, he decided to move him “as quickly as possible” to begin his resuscitation efforts.

When asked by Eldridge if he had taken any initial steps once he arrived on the scene, Smith said he checked Floyd’s pulse and pupils. He testified that he did not detect a pulse, and that Floyd’s pupils were “large” and “dilated.”

When asked by the prosecution if, while he was checking for a pulse, the officers were still positioned on top of Floyd, Smith answered “yes.”

Floyd died after Chauvin pinned him to the street with his knee on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes. Video was captured of the incident and has been played at the trial. In the the video, Floyd, 46, is heard yelling for help and shouting for his deceased mother.

Chauvin has been charged with one count of second-degree murder, one count of third-degree murder and one count of second-degree manslaughter, all in connection to Floyd’s death.