Current:Home > MyMedical expert testifies restraint actions of Tacoma police killed Washington man-InfoLens
Medical expert testifies restraint actions of Tacoma police killed Washington man
View Date:2024-12-23 21:07:41
TACOMA, Wash. (AP) — An expert in forensic pathology testified Monday in the ongoing trail of three Tacoma, Washington, police officers charged with the death of Manuel Ellis that Ellis likely would have lived if not for the officers’ actions to restrain him.
Dr. Roger Mitchell, former chief medical examiner for Washington, D.C., made the statement Monday and last week affirmed ex-Pierce County Medical Examiner Dr. Thomas Clark’s ruling that Ellis died by homicide from oxygen deprivation caused by physical restraint, The Seattle Times reported.
Officers Matthew Collins and Christopher Burbank, both white, are charged with murder and manslaughter in the death of Ellis, a 33-year-old Black man, on March 3, 2020. Officer Timothy Rankine, who is Asian American, is charged with manslaughter.
Collins and Burbank were the first officers to engage with Ellis and have said they did so because Ellis, on foot, was hassling people in a car as it passed through an intersection.
All have pleaded not guilty and remain employed by the Tacoma Police Department on paid leave.
Mitchell was questioned by special prosecutor Patty Eakes about medical findings that led him to his conclusion. Key among them, he said, was the presence of acidosis, a condition indicative of insufficient oxygen.
People experiencing low oxygen instinctively seek to breathe, and heavy breathing is the body’s natural cure for acidosis, Mitchell said. Ellis, pressed against the ground by police as he lay on his stomach, couldn’t find a position that allowed him to breathe, Mitchell testified.
Prosecutors previously said Ellis’ last words were “I can’t breathe.”
Defense attorneys have generally argued Ellis died of a methamphetamine overdose.
Collins’ lawyer, Jared Ausserer, later questioned Mitchell about describing himself on social media as “an advocate.” Mitchell, who is Black, said he is an advocate for finding public health solutions to problems that have disproportionately affected Black Americans.
Rankine’s lawyer, Mark Conrad, asked Mitchell whether he drew his conclusions from “circumstantial evidence.”
Mitchell said his conclusion — that restraint caused Ellis to be denied sufficient oxygen — was based on a number of factors: Ellis being placed in a prone position, his handcuffed hands hogtied to his feet, with a spit hood on his head; the presence of food and blood in his airways; and documentation at the scene that Ellis’ heart rate and breathing gradually deteriorated.
Last week two eyewitnesses characterized the officers as the aggressors in the altercation. Lawyers for the officers have said it was Ellis who acted aggressively, prompting them to respond.
Testimony is scheduled to resume Tuesday when the prosecution is expected to call a forensic audio expert to testify.
This is the first trial under a Washington state law that makes it easier to prosecute police who wrongfully use deadly force.
The trial, which started Oct. 3, is expected to run four days per week until December.
veryGood! (2512)
Related
- Dave Coulier Says He's OK If This Is the End Amid Stage 3 Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma Battle
- 9-Year-Old Boy Found Dead in Arizona Home Filled With Spiders and Gallons of Apparent Urine
- FedEx, UPS warn deliveries may be delayed due to Microsoft outage
- Here's what some Olympic athletes get instead of cash prizes
- Groups seek a new hearing on a Mississippi mail-in ballot lawsuit
- Yankees honor late AP photojournalist Kathy Willens with moment of silence before game vs. Rays
- Gen Z: Many stuck in 'parent trap,' needing financial help from Mom and Dad, survey finds
- Biden pushes party unity as he resists calls to step aside, says he’ll return to campaign next week
- Tennis Channel suspends reporter after comments on Barbora Krejcikova's appearance
- Carroll Fitzgerald, former Baltimore council member wounded in 1976 shooting, dead at 89
Ranking
- Jana Kramer’s Ex Mike Caussin Shares Resentment Over Her Child Support Payments
- Highlights from the 2024 Republican National Convention
- 6 people, including a boy, shot dead in Mexico as mass killings of families persist
- Trail on trial: To York leaders, it’s a dream. To neighbors, it’s something else
- FBI raids New York City apartment of Polymarket CEO Shayne Coplan, reports say
- Microsoft outage causes widespread airline disruptions and cancellations. Here's what to know.
- Federal appeals court dismisses lawsuit over Tennessee’s anti-drag show ban
- US flexed its muscles through technology and innovation at 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles
Recommendation
-
Wheel of Fortune Contestant Goes Viral Over His Hilariously Wrong Answer
-
Carol Burnett honors friend Bob Newhart with emotional tribute: 'As kind and nice as he was funny'
-
Your flight was canceled by the technology outage. What do you do next?
-
America's billionaires are worth a record $6T. Where does that leave the rest of us?
-
What’s the secret to growing strong, healthy nails?
-
Clark, Reese on same team at WNBA All-Star weekend and in spotlight in matchup against Olympic team
-
Watch Ryan Reynolds React to Joke That He's Bad at Sex
-
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Break a Dish