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.
I’m not saying this to defend Chauvin’s shitty decisions that day, but I believe Floyd was saying he couldn’t breath already when they were trying to put him in the patrol car, before anyone was actively constricting his breathing. Like a panic attack or something.
One of the hundred things that should’ve told Chauvin to relax on him, certainly.