Washington DC –
Three Tacoma, Washington, police officers were acquitted of charges murder against Manuel Ellis which occurred in 2020. Ellis was a black man who died during an arrest like what happened to George Floyd a few weeks later.
Reported ReutersFriday (22/12/2023), officers Christopher Burbank and Matthew Collins were found not guilty of the charges murder and manslaughter, while a third officer, Timothy Rankine, was found not guilty of manslaughter after a trial that lasted more than two months.
Ellis’ family members and supporters were outraged by the verdict. The legal proceedings against the three officers are the first cases brought against law enforcement officers under a new police accountability law approved by Washington state voters in a referendum five years ago.
The three men were acquitted of criminal charges in the death of Ellis, 33, despite witness testimony and video evidence presented at trial showing officers strangling Ellis, shooting him with a stun gun and pinning him to the street with their weight on March 3, 2020.
Video footage shows Collins holding Ellis’ neck as Burbank fires a taser or stun gun into the chest of Ellis who was lying on the ground. Ellis, who was unarmed, was heard repeatedly saying ‘Can’t breathe, sir’.
Ellis was pronounced dead at the scene. The officer’s defense attorney said police stopped Ellis because they saw him approaching a passing car at an intersection, while a witness said he saw Ellis standing on the corner when police called him to their car.
Burbank attorney Wayne Fricke argued that Ellis, who tested positive for drugs, died of drug use and heart disease. They accused Ellis of kicking the door of the police car, and they argued his behavior led to ‘a situation where he created his own death’.
Read more on the next page.
See also Video: Trump Calls Biden ‘A Hunchback with a Low IQ’ Ahead of the 2024 US Presidential Election
(haf/dhn)
2023-12-22 07:18:15
#Police #Officers #Acquitted #Murder #Charges #Manuel #Ellis
