Manny Ellis Video Death; 3 Washington State Officers Acquitted In 2020 Death

Manny Ellis Video Death; 3 Washington State Officers Acquitted In 2020 Death(Watch Video)

On Thursday, three Tacoma, Washington, police officers were found not guilty of killing Manuel Ellis in 2020. Ellis was a Black man whose last gasps during a battle with the officers had chilling similarities to George Floyd’s death a few weeks later.

After a trial that lasted more than two months, Timothy Rankine, an officer, was found not guilty of manslaughter, while Christopher Burbank and Matthew Collins were found not guilty of murder and manslaughter charges.

The verdict in the first lawsuit of this kind against law enforcement officials under a new police-accountability statute that Washington state voters adopted by referendum five years ago infuriated Ellis’ family and allies.

Despite witness testimony and video footage shown during the trial that showed the cops putting Ellis in a chokehold, blasting him with a stun gun, and pinning him to the ground with their weight on March 3, 2020, the three men were found not guilty of any criminal offense in the death of Ellis, 33.

As Ellis lay on the ground, Burbank shot a Taser into his chest, and Collins was shown on camera holding him by the neck. Throughout the incident, Ellis, who was unarmed, was heard repeating, “Can’t breathe, sir,” multiple times. Ellis was pronounced dead at the site.

While a witness claimed to have seen Ellis simply standing at the corner when police summoned him over to their car, the officers’ defense attorneys claimed that Ellis was stopped by the police because they observed him approaching a passing car at an intersection.

The cops’ attorneys contended that Ellis’s drug abuse and underlying cardiac problems caused his death, even if he had methamphetamine in his bloodstream. They said Ellis had kicked the door of the police car, and they framed his actions as having resulted in “a situation where he created his own death,” as Burbank’s attorney Wayne Fricke put it in his summary.

The officers, he said, had no choice but to respond forcefully.

SEE ALSO: Georg Gauger Senate Video Leaked On Twitter (Watch)

CORONER RULED DEATH A HOMICIDE

Witnesses for the prosecution stated that Ellis was not defending himself and that the officers had started an unprovoked attempt to subdue him while he was standing on the sidewalk. According to the Pierce County medical examiner, oxygen deprivation caused his death.

Ellis was killed a few weeks before George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police, which sparked months of protests against police brutality and racial injustice worldwide. A week after Floyd’s death, in June 2020, bystander footage of Ellis’s death was made public, sparking demonstrations in Tacoma.

Throughout the trial, Burbank, Collins, and Rankine were all released on bond and placed on paid administrative leave.

Speaking at a press conference following the decision, local authorities stated that the Tacoma Police Department was getting close to concluding its internal probe, which may lead to the three officers facing disciplinary action, including potential termination.

“I know the Ellis family is hurting, and my heart goes out to them,” said state Attorney General Bob Ferguson in a social media post on X. Governor Jay Inslee appointed Ferguson’s office to prosecute the case.

The seven men and five women jury, which was predominately white, debated for three days before returning a verdict.

Judge Bryan Chushcoff read the ruling to the silent courtroom in Tacoma. During the judge’s individual polling of the jurors to confirm the judgment, members of the Ellis family were seen quickly exiting the courtroom on a livestream.

As the hearing came to an end, the defendants and their supporters were seen embracing and shaking hands with their attorneys.

In response to Collins’ attorney asking the judge whether they could depart, Chushcoff stated, “I would just be cautious.” Many emotions are running high at the moment, according to the Seattle Times.

Shortly afterward, a handful of protesters gathered on a Tacoma street corner, obstructing traffic, yelling “No justice, no peace,” and encouraging others to join the demonstration.

The Washington Coalition for Police Accountability’s founder, Leslie Cushman, questioned the trial’s fairness.

“Mr. Ellis’ criminal history, medical history, personal history was in front of everyone to see, and we never heard of the misconduct of police or their training issues,” she stated to the Seattle Times.

Attorneys representing Derek Chauvin, the Minneapolis policeman found guilty of killing Floyd by knelt on his neck, attempted, but were unsuccessful, to present a similar argument during the trial. They contended that Floyd’s drug usage and enlarged heart were probably factors in his demise.

In addition to a 22 1/2-year state sentence for his murder conviction, Chauvin is serving a 21-year sentence in federal prison for violating Floyd’s civil rights.

Watch Video;