Justice Case of possible police violence in Vaud to be reopened
In the canton of Vaud, the public prosecutor's office must reinvestigate the killing of a dark-skinned man by the police in Morges. The Vaud cantonal court has ruled that the case must not be closed.
28.05.2025, 13:18
SDA
The public prosecutor's office has taken note of the cantonal court's decision, a spokesperson for the Keystone-SDA news agency confirmed on Wednesday in a report by the newspaper "24 heures". The lawyer for the victim's family lodged an appeal at the end of November 2024 after the public prosecutor's office decided to discontinue the proceedings.
The fatal incident took place at Morges train station in 2021. A police officer fired three shots at the man, who was armed with a knife, because he felt threatened by him. An autopsy revealed that one of the shots caused severe bleeding, which was fatal.
The public prosecutor's office came to the conclusion that it was a case of self-defense and decided not to press charges. They were also convinced that neither this officer nor his three colleagues could be charged with failing to render assistance.
The man killed was a 37-year-old man from Zurich of South African origin. According to the investigation, the man suffered from mental health problems.
Series of similar incidents
Police forces in the canton of Vaud have been criticized for years for similar incidents. Between 2016 and 2025, at least five dark-skinned men died in police operations in the canton. This triggered several rallies denouncing police violence and racism.
It was only on Monday that the Vaud cantonal police and the public prosecutor's office informed the public about another death of an African man in police custody. A 39-year-old man was arrested on Sunday on suspicion of a narcotics offense and collapsed at the police station. The public prosecutor's office has since opened a criminal investigation against four police officers for involuntary manslaughter.
