Dr. Gary Collins, the state's chief medical examiner who autopsied Floyd the day the uprising ended, said he could not confirm precisely when Floyd, 47, died. But, he said that the "superficial" nature of his injuries suggested he could have been saved.

The jury hearing evidence against three men charged with riot and murder for the uprising viewed autopsy pictures Thursday of the beaten officer's body as the medical examiner discussed Floyd's injuries.

"In my opinion, the injuries in and of themselves were not immediately life-threatening," Collins said. "Yes he would bleed a lot, but if he were taken to medical care in sufficient time, they could have stitched up the wounds, stopped the bleeding and prevented his death."

The question of when Floyd died — and who was in control of police response — has been left unanswered from the nearly 18-hour prison riot that captured the attention of the state and much of the country.

It's also part of a lawsuit filed by Floyd's family and other non-inmate hostages that the state settled for $7.5 million last year. The lawsuit claimed earlier intervention would have saved the correctional officer.

The family of slain Lt. Steven Floyd Sr. stand nearby as their attorney shows a photo from the family's last Christmas together as they announce the filing of a federal lawsuit against former governors Jack Markell, Ruth Ann Minner and others seeking compensatory and punitive damages.(Photo: Suchat Pederson, The News Journal)

Shortly after Floyd was battered, handcuffed and stuffed into a supply closet by masked inmates around 10 a.m. Feb. 1, 2017, prisoners who had seized control of the building and officer walkie-talkies demanded an audience with Gov. John Carney.

They never got that audience and first responders who entered the jail shortly after the initial attack fled, fearing they would also be taken hostage, according to trial testimony.

An hour later, Delaware State Police's tactical force was ready to move in and began a long period of waiting, the unit's head testified earlier in the trial.

An inmate in the building, who is now the state's top witness in the trial, said the final attack on Floyd came a few hours before he was found dead.

He was found when the state police tactical team breached the building shortly after 5 a.m. the day after the initial attack, according to trial testimony.

Since then, state officials have declined to answer questions about when during the uprising Floyd died, what caused his death and who was making the decision as to when to breach the building.

A letter written by a man police accuse of being the "mastermind" of the riot and introduced as evidence in the trial stated Floyd's death was caused by a failure in negotiation.

"Man, Floyd already down. He about to be canceled," an inmate told hostage negotiators according to recordings played in court. "You keep on playing with the demands that we are asking someone else is going to be next. We ain't playing."

Multiple attacks, no time of death

Collins said Floyd suffered a mixture of cuts and punctures, as well as injuries from being struck with hard objects.

"He had a lot of external injuries to his body but there were not severe internal injuries to any of his organs that would explain death happening very quickly," Collins said. "My opinion is that Sgt. Floyd would have died from bleeding."

The jury was shown pictures of small puncture wounds and larger gashes. Collins said his body also showed evidence he may have been choked.

Inmate witnesses have detailed four separate attacks on Floyd.

Lt. Steven Floyd Sr.(Photo: .)

The first occurred when multiple men attacked him initiating the uprising, witnesses have testified. Some said he was stabbed during that initial fight, before being handcuffed and held in a closet.

After midnight, he was attacked by multiple men in the closet. One tried to cut his throat and choke him, said Royal Downs, an inmate in the building who has pleaded guilty to riot and agreed with prosecutors to testify.

Sometime around 2 a.m., men dragged him from the closet near where he was found by police, Downs said. One inmate was on his back cutting his throat, Downs said. The inmate was handed a fire extinguisher and struck Floyd in the head multiple times, Downs testified.

Royal Downs(Photo: DELAWARE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE)

Other inmates said they heard mention of Floyd's death hours before that.

One said his cellmate told him that Floyd was dead shortly after the attack. Another testified to hearing that Floyd was "cooked" before the sun had set that day.

Some injuries to his body suggest he might have died before nightfall. One inmate witness said flaming newspapers were thrown on clothing piled in the closet where he was being held.

Collins observed long black marks on Floyd's back that he said were burns. He said the burns appeared to have occurred after he died.

Upon cross-examination, he said the state of Floyd's body suggested he could have possibly died six to eight hours before he was found at 5 a.m.

"It would be difficult for me to say how long he lived and bled before he died," Collins said. "I really couldn't say when he would have died."

Outcry by family

Collins testimony was the first time details of Floyd's injuries have been detailed publicly.

Immediately after the riot, Delaware State Police said Floyd's death was determined to be a "homicide by trauma," and provided no further details. Autopsy reports are not considered public record in Delaware and do not have to be released.

About a month after Floyd was killed, his widow called on Carney to either publicly or privately tell them what happened to her husband and release a copy of his autopsy to her.

This undated file photo shows Lt. Steven Floyd, who died in a February 2017 inmate riot and hostage standoff at the James T. Vaughn Correctional Center near Smyrna.(Photo: AP)

"How did he die?" Saundra M. Floyd said in a March 2017 statement. "Did he suffer greatly, or did he pass quickly? Was he tortured? Was he stabbed 100 times, as we have heard? Did he die in a great pool of blood, as is rumored? Please end our suffering and help us move on. Overrule the state's many lawyers and address our suffering.

Respect the memory of my dear husband and my family that much."

While the family settled its lawsuit with the state, they had never found out how Floyd died.

In the lawsuit, attorneys for Floyd's family argued that had the Department of Correction's emergency response team been allowed to initiate a rescue shortly after the riot occurred, the then-sergeant could have been saved.

It claimed Carney overruled an effort to breach earlier. A spokesman for Carney has denied that allegation. As of yet, no one has testified as to why those controlling the police response waited to end the takeover.