I've seen enough of these stories (the most recent one being Ahmaud Arbery) that I guessed right away that there was probably something fake about the story. That said, it did look like the guy was being suffocated by the guy's knee. The moment I found out that the knee-on-neck was a standard police restraint, however, I knew that the story was fake news. Why would it be a standard police procedure unless it actually was an effective and safe restraint? It's probably been tested and found to be safer than other kinds of restraint. Then the autopsy came out, and confirmed that Floyd was overdosing on fentanyl and didn't die from asphyxiation.

The transcript of the bodycam footage, though, confirms his death as a suicide. He was saying "I can't breathe" before he was on the ground, being restrained. The restraint probably prevented him from harming himself further through continuing to resist arrest. Also the fact that the police called EMS who were quickly on the scene, gave him a better chance of survival.

Overall, I think that the police's actions gave Floyd a better chance of survival. Had they not been there, he could have driven off in his car, overdosed while at the wheel, and presented a danger to pedestrians and other vehicles. We'll see if the jury agrees, but I think the probability of Chauvin getting a fair trial is pretty low.