Police operation Man killed is said not to have attacked police in Morges VD
A dark-skinned man who died in Morges VD in 2021 after being shot by police did not attack law enforcement officers, according to a new report. Instead, he is said to have been on the run. This contradicts the theory that the police officers were defending themselves.
25.08.2025, 17:33
25.08.2025, 17:34
SDA
According to a video analysis in combination with 3D reconstructions, the fleeing man's hands were open shortly before the first two shots were fired at him. "It was therefore highly unlikely that he was holding a knife at the time."
This is the key finding of the research and investigation agency Border Forensics, whose report was presented to the press in Lausanne on Monday.
The counter-investigation is the result of two years of collaboration with the independent commission into the death of the deceased man. It was intended to provide "a detailed analysis of the events" that led to the death of the 37-year-old man from Zurich, who was of South African origin at the time.
A 2D spatial analysis also made it possible to reconstruct every step taken by him and the police officer who shot him at the decisive moments: "The analysis of the geometry of the scene shows that it was more of an escape than an attack," added Nico Alexandroff from Border Forensics.
The authors of the report also examined the structural dynamics, that is, the issue of race in this incident. Although police say the man's skin color was not a factor, the first report from police to dispatch was "a man of color on the ground," according to the authors.
Vaud "deadliest canton"
In this context, Border Forensics has compiled a new database of 84 cases from 1992 to the present day, recording people who died in Switzerland as a result of an interaction with the police.
The report shows that "people, especially men, who are perceived as 'other' because of their racialization, socio-legal status, psychopathology and drug use, are disproportionately exposed to lethal police practices in Switzerland". In this respect, the canton of Vaud is "the deadliest canton in Switzerland".
Proceedings resumed
The case in Morges VD was initially discontinued at the end of November 2024. The public prosecutor's office was of the opinion that the police officer who fired the fatal shot acted in self-defense. However, in May 2025, the cantonal court of Vaud decided to reopen the case.
The fatal incident took place at the train station in the small Vaud town in 2021. A police officer fired three shots at the man, who was allegedly armed with a knife, because he felt threatened by him. An autopsy revealed that one of the shots caused severe bleeding, which was fatal.
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 sparked several rallies denouncing police violence and racism.
