Paramedic says he could tell George Floyd wasn’t breathing when he arrived at the scene
A paramedic who responded to the scene took the stand for the fourth day of Derek Chauvin’s murder trial.
As Derek Chauvin’s murder trial continued for its fourth day on Thursday (April 1), one of the paramedics who responded to the call about George Floyd’s medical emergency took the stand. Minneapolis paramedic Seth Zachary Bravinder said the call was initially classified as a Code 2, which indicates a non-life-threatening injury, but was upgraded to Code 3 while they were on their way to the scene.
When Bravinder and his partner arrived, he said he saw “multiple officers on the side of the road” as Floyd lay “on the ground next to a squad car.” Bravinder added that there were “multiple officers” on top of Floyd as lay on the ground motionless.
Video of the paramedics’ response was played for the jury, which showed Chauvin continuing to kneel on Floyd and another officer holding him down as the paramedic checked for a pulse. Bravinder said that even from a distance away, he could tell that Floyd was not breathing.
When asked whether or not Floyd appeared unresponsive, he answered, “from what I could tell just standing from a distance, yes.”
The paramedic believed Floyd to be in cardiac arrest and went to move Floyd onto a stretcher. Bravinder defined cardiac arrest as “anyone who’s not responding and not breathing and doesn’t have a pulse.”
Video showed that Floyd was still in handcuffs when paramedics moved him onto the stretcher. Bravinder said he put his hands under Floyd’s head to stop it “from slamming down on the pavement” as he and his partner moved him onto the stretcher. While transporting him into the ambulance, Bravinder said Floyd appeared “limp.”
“I guess limp would be the best description. He wasn’t — he was unresponsive and wasn’t holding his head up or anything like that,” he explained.
Bravinder said Floyd flatlined in the ambulance on the way to the hospital.
“I remember walking in and the cardiac monitor was showing asystole,” he recalled.
“It’s not a good sign,” he continued. “Basically just because your heart isn’t doing anything at that moment. There’s not… it’s not pumping blood. So it’s not… it’s not a good sign for a good outcome.”
Court recessed around 1:30 pm EST for a one-hour lunch break and will resume later today. Chauvin is charged with second- and third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in Floyd’s death. Watch the trial live below.