2021.06.02;三Jun2nd(153):Cases Handled by Ex-Medical Examiner in Chauvin Trial to be Examined After Doctors' Outcry
Published by DB,
Cases Handled by Ex-Medical Examiner in Chauvin Trial to be Examined After Doctors' Outcry
In Photos: Nation Reacts To Guilty Verdict In Derek Chauvin Trial
The career of David Fowler, who served as a chief medical examiner in Maryland for 17 years, will be investigated by state officials after he testified last week that former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was not responsible for killing George Floyd.
On Friday, Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh and Governor Larry Hogan announced an independent review into all cases of in-custody deaths handled by Fowler.
The announcement comes after Fowler served as a controversial defense witness for Chauvin before the officer was convicted Tuesday on three counts of murdering Floyd.
During the trial, Fowler testified that he believed Floyd died in Chauvin's custody due to a sudden cardiac event caused by an underlying heart disease. Fowler cited multiple possible contributing factors to his death, such as drugs in his system and a potential exposure to carbon monoxide from vehicle exhaust.
Fowler argued that the manner of Floyd's death should be thus classified as "undetermined," despite testimony from numerous experts—including the Hennepin Country medical examiner—who concluded that Floyd was murdered after Chauvin forcibly knelt on his neck for more than nine minutes.
In response to Fowler's testimony, the former chief medical examiner of Washington, D.C., Dr. Roger Mitchell Jr., wrote an open letter calling for investigations into Fowler's medical license, along with a review of all past cases handled by Fowler during his career in Maryland, NPR reported.
"Dr. Fowler's stated opinion that George Floyd's death during active police restraint should be certified with an 'undetermined' manner is outside the standard practice and conventions for investigating and certification of in-custody deaths. This stated opinion raises significant concerns for his previous practice and management," the letter said.
The letter added that Fowler's testimony was "baseless, revealed obvious bias, and raised malpractice concerns," and stated: "Our disagreement with Dr. Fowler is not a matter of opinion. Our disagreement with Dr. Fowler is a matter of ethics."
Cases handled by ex-medical examiner David Fowler, who argued in the Chauvin trial that the cause of George Floyd's death was "undetermined," will be examined after an outcry from hundreds of doctors. Above, George Floyd Square in Minneapolis on April 21.