this post was submitted on 13 Dec 2023

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255

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

submitted 10 months ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/news@lemmy.world

31 comments fedilink hide all child comments

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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[–] NocturnalMorning@lemmy.world 73 points 10 months ago (3 children)

Radical idea, but, we could stop sending police officers to deal with people on drugs, since police are clearly not equipped to deal with it.

[–] Sabata11792@kbin.social 28 points 10 months ago

When all you have is a racist with a gun...

[–] MonsiuerPatEBrown@reddthat.com 19 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

the war on drugs is mostly a massacre of drug addicts

i'll let the reader figure out what the war on poverty is mostly of

[–] Kbobabob@lemmy.world 7 points 10 months ago

the war on drugs is mostly a mass~~acre of drug addicts~~ incarceration of POC.

[+] pan_troglodytes@programming.dev -10 points 10 months ago (2 children)

[deleted]

[–] NocturnalMorning@lemmy.world 9 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Nobody ever said the police wouldn't be on standby if situations actually do turn violent. They just shouldn't be first responders for this shit. They clearly aren't trained to deal with anything else.

[–] Kerensky1101@lemmy.world 2 points 10 months ago

The police in America are very much not trained for anything.

Police in some countries are required to obtain at least a four year degree and attend a two year police academy before they can start.

Contrast that to the city I used to live in where they had a written test to be a police officer. A written test where they had to reduce the math competency portion from a 4th grade math level to a 1st grade math level due to too many candidates failing the test. Other than that, the only other requirement is a two year degree that is very generic

[–] Chetzemoka@startrek.website 4 points 10 months ago

In related news, we never even tried because people like making things up so they can continue being scared of their own shadows.

[–] Potatos_are_not_friends@lemmy.world 67 points 10 months ago (3 children)

“This is a situation where he created his own death,”

“It was his behavior that forced the officers to use force against him.."

Lol same language as "why did you make me hurt you?" And "If you didn't act up, I wouldn't have hit you."

You absolutely bet these officers abuse their family.

[–] nonailsleft@lemm.ee 17 points 10 months ago

In some cases, being high and fighting the police kinda changes the situation.

Having said that, this clearly does not seem to be the case here. Police using excessive force and then lying about it. Good they have footage of their actions. Lock them up for life to scare their colleagues I say

[–] IphtashuFitz@lemmy.world 10 points 10 months ago

“He should have stopped resisting”

[–] girsaysdoom@sh.itjust.works 8 points 10 months ago

For real. All I see is people blaming the victim.

[–] TheJims@lemmy.world 25 points 10 months ago

Derek Chauvins 22 stab wounds were a pre existing condition

[–] Potatos_are_not_friends@lemmy.world 7 points 10 months ago

Same people who say "guns don't kill people"

[+] fosforus@sopuli.xyz -25 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (4 children)

Shouldn't this apply to the George Floyd case then, as well? He was on meth and fentanyl at the time of his death, and with a heart disease, COVID-19, and a knee on your neck that cannot be a great combo.

Seems how that case was declared as a 3rd degree murder already, this oughta be also.

[–] funkless_eck@sh.itjust.works 22 points 10 months ago

lots of people's grandparents are on pharmaceutical drugs that impair their ability, are often unwell and have trouble breathing.

I dont see why that should be a good reason for putting my full weight on gamgam's windpipe with my knee.

[–] theKalash@feddit.ch 2 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Well, that happened in 2020 and he did have trouble breathing ... probably covid related.

[–] Nurse_Robot@lemmy.world 22 points 10 months ago (2 children)

A police officer had his knee crushing his neck as Floyd pleaded that he couldn't breath until his was murdered. I don't think Covid has fuck all to do an with his death

[–] theKalash@feddit.ch 14 points 10 months ago

Well, you're clearly not going to become a police spokesperson with that attitude.

[–] fosforus@sopuli.xyz -2 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

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.

[–] girsaysdoom@sh.itjust.works 0 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I think you're proving their point even moreso. If there are less issues associated with drugs in this man's death then the police action was consequentially more of a factor.

[–] theKalash@feddit.ch 4 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

then the police action was consequentially more of a factor.

This is very much my point.

I thought suggesting that George Floyd died due to covid was ridiculous enough of a statement for not having to add an /s. The joke is that it's something absurd that police might say as a defense ...

[–] girsaysdoom@sh.itjust.works 1 points 10 months ago

Oh, yup. I definitely missed that one.

I think other people downvoting the comment above yours made it confusing.

[–] prole@sh.itjust.works 2 points 10 months ago

Two completely different cases, my dude. That's not really how the justice system works.

[+] Dio@lemy.lol -35 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (2 children)

[removed by mod]

[–] nova_ad_vitum@lemmy.ca 11 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Wait for someone to take medication.
Choke them to death
Be found but guilty because they were on drugs.

Congrats you legalized murder.

[–] fosforus@sopuli.xyz 1 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months 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 1 points 10 months 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.