George Floyd Toxicology Report Used In Racist Prank

A printout of George Floyd’s toxicology report with comments insinuating his death was related to drugs was discovered pinned to a Black History Month bulletin board display on Duke University’s campus. Now, the school is investigating.

The flier was found Saturday (March 20) on the display honoring Black victims of police violence and was inscribed with handwritten remarks, reading “Mix of drugs presents in difficulty breathing! Overdose? Good Man? Use of fake currency is a felony!”

Floyd was killed by former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin, who is currently on murder charges related to Floyd’s death, after the 46-year-old was falsely accused of using a counterfeit $20 bill.

Matt Mohn, the student who first discovered the flier, called it “audacious” and said it was removed around 30 minutes after he reported it to his resident adviser.

“All of a sudden, someone comes up and is essentially sticking a thumb in the face of every Black person, saying his life didn’t matter, that he wasn’t a good person, because of one $20 bill,” Mohn told KCTV 5. “I was just really, really surprised by it, that someone would put that much effort into trying to strip someone of their humanity for no reason.”

Michael Manns, another student, who is Black, saw a photo of the flier and said he was “honestly terrified.”  

“That happened right down the hall from where I sleep, from where I’m supposed to be safe,” Manns told the news station. “The thought that it could be someone I’ve lived with all these months really terrified me.” 

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The Hennepin County medical examiner originally announced that Floyd had “recent methamphetamine use” and “fentanyl intoxication,” as well as hypertension and coronary artery disease, which they believed contributed to his death.

Two doctors who conducted a subsequent and independent autopsy of Floyd said he had no underlying health issues that could have contributed to his death. They labeled his cause of death as asphyxiation from being kneeled on by Chauvin.

In a letter to its student body, Duke said multiple offices are investigating the matter and if anything else similar to Saturday’s incident happens on campus, sanctions will be issued.

“Any incident that is motivated in whole or part by an individual’s race, warrants ‘acceleration’ or elevation of sanctioning due to the impact on the community,” the letter stated. 

It continues: “If the investigation does not identify a responsible student, we will inform the community of that outcome on or before April 15 as part of our monthly conduct update. We are also working closely with our Campus Life departments to provide direct outreach to Black-identified students. Additional support resources available to all students are included below the signature of this message.”