Page 28 - Florida Sentinel 6-4-21

National
MANUEL ELLIS
One year after Manuel Ellis died during a police encounter, three officers have been charged in connection with his murder.
The Washington state Attor- ney General Bob Ferguson charged two Tacoma police of- ficers with murder and one with manslaughter in the death of Ellis, NPR reports. The 33- year-old had told the officers that he couldn’t breathe as he was being restrained on March 3, 2020.
Witness reports filed in Pierce
County Superior Court say of- ficers Christopher Burbank and Matthew Collins, who are both white, charged at Ellis without provocation as officer Timothy Rankine, who is Asian, applied pressure on Ellis’ back. His last words “I can’t breathe, sir!” were heard on a nearby security camera.
The Tacoma Police Union de- fended the three officers claim- ing “facts were ignored in favor of what appears to be a politi- cally motivated witch hunt.”
“We look forward to trial,” the union said in a statement Thursday. “An unbiased jury
will find that the officers broke no laws and, in fact, acted in accordance with the law, their training, and Tacoma Police Department policies. An unbi- ased jury will not allow these fine public servants to be sacri- ficed at the altar of public sen- timent.”
If found guilty, all three offi- cers could face up to life in prison with the standard sen- tence ranging from 10 to 18 years for second-degree mur- der with no prior criminal his- tory and 6.5 to 8.5 years for manslaughter with no prior criminal history, NY Times re- ports.
MIAMI-DADE SUSPECTS
In harrowing security footage released Monday by Miami-Dade Police, the gun- men who opened fire at a birthday party for a local rap- per, killing at least two people, can be seen exiting a car with guns and running toward the event venue. The footage later shows the masked men run- ning back into their white SUV. Another 22 people were injured in the early Sunday morning mayhem at El Mula Banquet Hall, which cops have described as a “targeted act of
A woman who told Clive po- lice she intentionally struck a 14-year-old with her SUV be- cause the girl was Latina re- ceived a 25-year prison sentence after the girl's father testified that the December 2019 attack had shaken his be- lief that his family was safe in the United States.
Nicole Poole Franklin, 43, of Des Moines, also re- ceived a concurrent 25-year sentence in Polk County Court for intentionally hitting a 12- year-old boy, who is Black, the same day in a rampage police said included yelling racial and ethnic slurs at a gas station employee.
Poole, who pleaded guilty in April to two counts of at- tempted murder, faces sen- tencing Aug. 19 on two federal hate crime convictions in con- nection with the attacks. Under the hate crime statute, she could face a sentence of up
violence,” according to local news reports.
Police said in a press con- ference that people inside of the party “returned fire” with the perpetrators. The shooters fled the scene and remain at large; Crime Stoppers is offer- ing a $30,000 reward and the businessman Marcus Lemo- nis pledged $100,000 for tips that lead to an arrest. An offi- cer told the Miami Herald they “[plan] to staff any other parties around town with off- duty cops” in search of leads.
NICOLE POOLE FRANKLIN
to life in prison, though federal prosecutors are recommend- ing 27 years.
Clive police said Poole told them she targeted the girl be- cause she was "Mexican." They said she also told them she had smoked meth hours before the attacks, according to a crimi- nal complaint.
Three Officers Charged In Manuel Ellis Death After He Said ‘I Can’t Breathe’
Cops Release Chilling Footage Of Three Suspects In Miami-Dade Mass Shooting
Woman Who Intentionally Hit Black, Latina Youngsters With Her SUV Sentenced To 25 Years In Prison
PAGE 16-B FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY FRIDAY, JUNE 4, 2021