Three Washington State Police Officers Cleared of Charges in Death of Manuel "Manny" Ellis
The three police officers from Washington state have been acquitted of all charges in the death of Manuel "Manny" Ellis, a Black man, in 2020.
Christopher Burbank, 38, and Matthew Collins, 40, were cleared of second-degree murder and manslaughter charges, while Timothy Rankine, 34, was acquitted of manslaughter charges. All three officers had pleaded not guilty.
The defense lawyers argued that Ellis' death was a result of drug use rather than excessive force. They claimed that the officers did not use excessive force, including choking, shocking, and holding Ellis facedown.
Wayne Fricke, who represented Burbank, stated that Ellis was addicted to methamphetamine, which made him violent, unpredictable, and paranoid.
"This is a situation where he created his own death," Fricke said during the closing arguments of the nine-week trial. "It was his behavior that forced the officers to use force against him because he created a situation that required them to act."
Ellis repeatedly told the officers, "Can't breathe, sir," before his death on March 3, 2020, nearly three months before the death of George Floyd that sparked a global outcry against police brutality.
A suspect's death during an encounter with police officers resulted in the first trial since a state measure was approved in 2018. This measure removed the requirement for prosecutors to prove that police acted with malice.
