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- A flier of George Floyd's toxicology report was put on a Black History Month bulletin board at Duke.
- Floyd died in May when officer Derek Chauvin pinned him under his knee for more than 8 minutes.
- The university investigating this incident to determine if more can be learned about its origin.
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Duke University is investigating how a flier of George Floyd's toxicology report was put on a Black History Month bulletin board.
In a letter from Duke University sent to all undergraduate students, the incident happened on March 20 when a freshman found the printout of the report. It was taped on a hallway bulletin board honoring Black victims who died because of police brutality, including Philando Castile and Breonna Taylor, the Washington Post reported.
Floyd died during an arrest last May in Minneapolis when officer Derek Chauvin pinned him under his knee for more than eight minutes as Floyd said he couldn't breathe.
Two autopsies were completed to determine Floyd's death. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner released a report a week after Floyd died and determined he died of "cardiopulmonary arrest complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression." The report also notes that Floyd also suffered from heart disease, fentanyl intoxication, and recent methamphetamine use."
Ben Crump, an attorney representing Floyd's family, announced in a Facebook Live broadcast on June 1 that an independent autopsy found that the 46-year-old black was killed by asphyxia due to compression of the neck and back.
Though both reports differ on exactly how Floyd died, both determined he died from homicide.
Matt Mohn, the first-year student who found the flyer, told the Duke Chronicle, the independent news organization at the University, the flyer was removed immediately after he reported it to his resident advisor.
The organization reported that the toxicology report had handwriting on it, reading: "Mix of drugs presents in difficulty breathing!" the person wrote. "Overdose? Good man? Use of false currency is felony!"
The Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards (OSCCS), Office for Institutional Equity, and DUPD are currently investigating this incident to determine if more can be learned about the circumstances surrounding this event, the letter states.
"If Duke students are found to be responsible for this act, the Office of Conduct and Community Standards (OSCCS) will issue sanctions to the responsible student(s)," John Blackshear, the dean of students, and Jeanna McCullers, the senior associate dean, wrote in the letter.
This is not the first time the University has had an incident related to bias against people of color. In 2015, a Duke student admitted to hanging a noose made of rope from a tree near a student union. In 2019, a professor asked Chinese graduate students to speak English while they are in school buildings.
Duke University did not immediately respond to Insider's request for additional comment.
