Manuel Ellis was a 33-year-old musician and father of two in Tacoma, Washington. Manuel was walking home from a church performance on March 3, 2020, when he was involved in a confrontation with four police officers. Officers struck Manuel and held him to the ground despite his repeated shouting of “I can’t breathe.” Manuel lost consciousness and was declared dead after 30 minutes of attempted resuscitation.

Eyewitness video of the incident showed Manuel on the ground being struck repeatedly by officers, as a witness shouted at them to stop. Manuel shrieked, “I can’t breathe, sir!”, as officers subdued him, according to doorbell camera footage of the arrest. Officers appeared to tell him to “Shut the f--k up,” in response.

A medical examiner ruled his death a homicide, concluding the cause of death was hypoxia due to physical restraint. However, police officers tried suggesting that Manuel succumbed to “excited delirium” (EXD), which is an increasingly common explanation to justify police violence. Excited delirium is pseudoscience recognized by neither the American Medical Association nor the American Psychiatric Association.

A police dispatch report notes that two minutes after encountering police, Manuel was dying. All four police officers involved have been placed on leave while Washington’s governor has announced a formal investigation.

Manuel Ellis’ death stands out in a long list of deaths of Black men and boys, making death gurgles of “I can’t breathe” through chokeholds or other deadly restraints.