Cracking the Case: Expert Analysis in Tacoma Trial Suggests Police Restraint Contributed to Manuel Ellis' Death

In the trial of three Tacoma, Washington, police officers accused of the death of Manuel Ellis, an expert in forensic pathology testified on Monday, emphasizing that Ellis might have survived if not for the physical restraint applied by the officers.

Dr. Roger Mitchell, a former chief medical examiner for Washington, D.C., affirmed the findings of ex-Pierce County Medical Examiner Dr. Thomas Clark, stating that Ellis died as a result of oxygen deprivation caused by the physical restraint. 

Officers Matthew Collins and Christopher Burbank, both white, are facing charges of murder and manslaughter, while Officer Timothy Rankine, who is Asian American, is charged with manslaughter.

The officers encountered Ellis as he was reportedly bothering people in a passing car. 

While the officers pleaded not guilty, stating Ellis died of a methamphetamine overdose, Mitchell's testimony highlighted the effects of physical restraint on Ellis' ability to breathe.

The trial has witnessed conflicting narratives, with eyewitnesses portraying the officers as the aggressors, while the officers' lawyers have claimed Ellis provoked the altercation. 

The trial, the first under a Washington state law facilitating the prosecution of police for wrongful use of deadly force, is expected to continue until December.

[SOURCE]