Black man choked and shocked by officers "created his own death," lawyer argues at trial
CBSN
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."
Primaries in different parts of the country on Tuesday could exert some influence on Republicans' chances at gaining back ground from Democrats in November and help decide whether an often unpredictable House Republican who has upset members of her own party will make it to the general election. Here are a few races to watch:
A blistering heat wave that recently brought record-breaking temperatures to large sections of the southwestern United States, including several major cities, is forecast to continue this week as it tracks over much of the country on its way toward the East Coast. Meanwhile, meteorologists have warned that powerful storm weather could dump as much as a foot of rain, or more, on parts of Florida and potentially give rise to another round of tornado threats in central states. Metropolitan areas like Chicago may be affected by a possible twister.
After four days of voting, with more than 400 million people eligible across 27 countries, European voters have pulled the bloc's 720-seat parliament farther to the right than it has ever been. The European Parliament, for the next five years, will now have a record number of far-right legislators. Far-right parties made gains in Europe's top three economies — Germany, France and Italy — with gains by politicians who campaigned against immigration, against support for Ukraine and against climate policy.