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Three police officers in Tacoma, Wash., are facing felony charges stemming from the death of Manuel Ellis, a Black man who died after he was handcuffed and restrained in custody last year.
Police also initially said Ellis allegedly banged on a patrol car and attacked two police officers who were trying to calm him down.
According to astatementfrom state Attorney General Bob Ferguson, officers Christopher Burbank and Matthew Collins have been charged with second-degree murder. Officer Timothy Rankine was charged with first-degree manslaughter.
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In the statement, Ferguson references cellphone video of the altercation, and alleges that officer Collins struck Ellis at last four times in the head. The statement also alleges that Collins “locked his hands together while squeezing his arm around Ellis’s neck, applying what is called a ‘lateral vascular neck restraint.'”
The statement alleges that while Collins had Ellis in a neck restraint, Burbank Tasered him. According to the statement, Ellis allegedly screams “Can’t breathe, sir. Can’t breathe.” One of the officer allegedly responds with “shut the f— up.”
According to the statement, Officer Rankine later arrived at the scene and put his weight on Ellis as other officers hogtied him. The statement says that recordings of the incident capture Ellis’ “agonal breathing” during the encounter. They later place a hood over his head.
Ellis stopped breathing during the encounter. The fire department arrived and attempted to resuscitate him. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Warrants have been issued for the officers' arrests. The suspects have not entered pleas and it was not immediately clear if any had retained attorneys.
The Tacoma Police Department said it will conduct an internal investigation before deciding if disciplinary actions should be taken.
source: people.com
