"Landmark Trial Begins: 3 Washington Officers Face Charges in Death of Black Man"

Jury selection is set to begin in the trial of three Tacoma police officers charged in the death of Manuel "Manny" Ellis, a Black man who was tackled, punched, shocked with a stun gun, and held face down on a sidewalk in March 2020. Officers Christopher Burbank and Matthew Collins, who are white, face second-degree murder charges, while Timothy Rankine, who is Asian American, faces first-degree manslaughter charges. The officers pleaded not guilty. Witnesses and video evidence contradict the officers' claims that Ellis attacked them, with several witnesses recording the encounter and pleading for the officers to stop. Ellis was pronounced dead at the scene, and the medical examiner ruled his death a homicide due to physical restraint. The trial is expected to run until December.