MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- A 46-year-old man whose death sparked a national discussion on police brutality and racial injustice had tested positive for coronavirus earlier in the year, according to an autopsy report.
According to an autopsy report from the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office, George Floyd had tested positive for COVID-19 on April 3. The autopsy said the virus can persist for weeks after the onset and the resolution.
Floyd's official cause of death was revealed to be a heart attack, according to the autopsy. Floyd had numerous blunt-force injuries -- including his shoulders, hands, elbows and legs -- and a number of contusions to the head and neck, the autopsy said.
The most recent autopsy report also said Floyd had fentanyl and methamphetamine in his system at the time of death.
Floyd's death caught the nation's attention after a viral video showed the Minnesota man struggling while in police custody back in late May. The video showed a police officer, later identified as Derek Chauvin, kneeling on Floyd's neck.
Chauvin was initially charged with third-degree murder before Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced on Wednesday that Chauvin's charge upgraded to a second-degree murder. He’s also being charged with manslaughter.
The three other officers involved in the deadly incident -- Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane -- are being charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder for their role in Floyd's death.
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