[user104658]

Originally Posted by Oliver_W

So would he have been alive if the knee hadn't gone onto his neck?

Autopsy will show if he had a fatal level of drugs in his system. My bet though if there were any drugs at all in his system, is that the lawyer will try to argue that because of his other health conditions, it's "impossible to know" whether or not the circumstance that lead to death was the restraint or the drugs. The physical cause is likely to be the same in both scenarios (respiratory failure).

It will be an absolute disaster for black rights movements if it can be proven that he had a fatal dose of drugs in his system. If it comes down to ambiguity (drugs in his system but not a definite fatal dose) then it'll only ignite more fires.