US jury clears police officers in death of black man Manuel Ellis

A crowd that included family members of Mr Ellis gathered near a mural of him in Tacoma on Thursday night (AP Photo/Maddy Grassy)

A US jury has cleared three police officers of all criminal charges in the death of a black man who was shocked, beaten and restrained face-down on the street as he pleaded for breath.

Two of the officers – Matthew Collins, 40, and Christopher Burbank, 38 – had been charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter, while Timothy Rankine, 34, was charged with manslaughter.