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Black man choked and shocked by police died because of drugs, officers' lawyers argue at trial (apnews.com)

submitted 2 years ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/news@lemmy.world

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Lawyers for three Washington state police officers charged in the 2020 death of a Black man told the jury Tuesday that his death was the result of drug use, not excessive force that included officers choking, shocking and holding him facedown.

Manuel Ellis was addicted to methamphetamine, and it caused him to be violent, unpredictable, and paranoid, said Wayne Fricke, who represents Tacoma police Officer Christopher Burbank.

“This is a situation where he created his own death,” Fricke said during closing arguments in the officers’ nine-week trial on murder and manslaughter charges. “It was his behavior that forced the officers to use force against him because he created a situation that required them to act.”

Fricke’s remarks followed closing arguments by special prosecutor Patty Eakes, who urged the jury to compare the officers’ statements with videos and witness testimony to determine the officers’ credibility. Eakes is prosecuting the case on behalf of the Washington Attorney General’s Office.

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[–] fosforus@sopuli.xyz 0 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

I've heard it. I've also done some martial arts almost all my life. A knee to the neck like Chauvin did isn't exactly a killing move, but also holding that position for 9+ minutes against a person who was co-operating and distressed, and eventually non-responsive was way fucking excessive. Especially when Chauvin had colleagues at the site and wasn't being threatened by anyone else.

Stlil, it seems to me more like an involuntary manslaughter and criminal amounts of stupidity rather than murder, but I'm not confident at all about that and I won't really put up much of a fight for this opinion.

George Floyd was clearly no hero though, and it's fucking idiotic that he has been made into one.

[–] SwampYankee@mander.xyz 2 points 2 years ago

I don't know that people really consider Floyd a hero... A martyr, maybe. He wasn't fighting for anything except his own life, and it's enough of a crime that it was taken away from him for allegedly using a fake $20 bill. Whatever kind of symbolic figure he is, is because of things that were done to him, not things that he did himself. The situation didn't even warrant his arrest, but Thomas Lane walked up behind him sitting in his car and tapped on his window WITH A FUCKING GUN. Is that what they're teaching in police gun safety classes? At no point did any one of those absolute shitbirds do a single thing right in their interaction with Floyd.