Derek Chauvin’s defense is in fact a damning indictment

If the officers at the scene did not think Floyd was suffering from excited delirium, there was no reason for the added restraint. If they did think he was suffering from the condition, Chauvin’s subsequent actions look even worse. It means Chauvin applied additional restraint to a suspect already subdued, including restricting his airway, all while knowing the suspect was suffering from a supposed condition that has been said to kill 1 in 10. If Chauvin suspected Floyd was in a state of excited delirium, once Floyd was nonresponsive Chauvin was more obligated to remove his knee and administer CPR, because he would have been trained to know Floyd had an elevated risk of death. This is why debating the legitimacy of excited delirium shouldn’t be relevant. What should matter is whether the officers’ actions are commensurate with the threat posed by the suspect’s actions. If the use of force is proportional to legitimately threatening acts, the force is justified. If the officers’ force is disproportionate, the officers should be held accountable. But if excited delirium is a condition we’re going to let police officers diagnose at the scene, it calls for less force, not more. Unless a suspect is in the process of trying to kill or injure someone else, it calls for de-escalation. It calls for patience, for bringing a mental health professional to the scene, for talking a suspect down. After all, if it is real, we’re talking about a significant increase in the chance of death.