Zim-born pathologist stirs controversy

Dr David Fowler, a South African-trained pathologist who was born in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, has been testifying for the defence in the murder trial of fired Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin charged with killing George Floyd.

Fowler, who is currently being sued for civil rights violations and covering for police stating they did nothing wrong in the murder of Anton Black, graduated from the University of Cape Town (UCT) in 1983 and is the former state of Maryland chief medical examiner.

Fowler reviewed Floyd’s case for the defence and told the court on Wednesday he considered the cause of death to be undetermined. He said there were many factors that could have contributed to his death, including heart disease and exposure to vehicle exhaust fumes during his restraint by the police.

Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck was not a significant factor in his death, said Fowler.

Some Americans and South Africans have weighed in on Fowler’s involvement in the case.

A tweet by author and CNN commentator Keith Boykin is what triggered the responses.

“Of all the forensic pathologists in the world, why did Derek Chauvin’s defence team pick a guy who graduated from the University of Cape Town in SA in 1983, when SA was still a racist apartheid regime?” Boykin tweeted on Wednesday.

The Zimbabwean-born former chief medical examiner for the state of Maryland told jurors Floyd was living with up to a 90 percent narrowing of his arteries before he died. He said Chauvin’s kneeling on Floyd was not a significant factor in his death, and that Chauvin’s knee wasn’t near Floyd’s airway. – BusinessInsiderSA.