Alongside unveiling patterns, the Archive of Absence stands as a witness.

Many records lack important details. Some deaths go complete unrecorded. The AoA allows to submit information to help acknowledge and collectively honor the memory of those who lost their lives at the hands of the police.

So, did racism kill Nzoy?

Our evidence points to a systemic pattern where race, masculinity, and various forms of othering shape who is policed, how, and with what consequences.

Our research also shows that especially racialised men are overwhelmingly overexposed to lethal policing.

A racialised geography of violence emerges: over the last 10 years, the Canton of Vaud had been the deadliest in CH – both in absolute terms and relative to population and police size. Who died? 67% of cases show one marker of othering; 28% show multiple. Over 45% were racialised. We see a pattern.

In the past three decades, shootings went down, yet police-related deaths have remained steady.

Our platform documents 84 people killed in police interactions from 1992–2025: more than two per year. We include deaths from shootings, restraint, neglect or abuse in custody as well as police chases.

Silence surrounds these deaths. Officially released numbers mostly cover deaths through police fire arms while fatalities from restraint, custody, or neglect are obscured by euphemisms. This invisibility conceals violent patterns of police practices and thus the causes of reproduced violence.

The result of our analysis challenges the prosecutor’s claim that Nzoy ran at the officer with a knife. His hands were open and empty when he was first shot. This exposes bias in official narratives of lethal policing and support the demand for #justice4nzoy.

borderforensics.org/investigations/nzoy

The frame-by-frame motion shows his left hand outstretched across his body and his right hand with visible finger articulation. Both moved naturally as open palms. This is bio-mechanically inconsistent with gripping a knife.

By cross-referencing a #3D model of the scene with the camera’s perspective and optics, we measured the distance to Nzoy’s hands. The pixel data gave us a precise dimensions: 19.7 cm. Our results matched Nzoy's autopsy records.

From four extracted frames, we studied the size, shape, and motion of #Nzoy’s hands – open vs closed. The police investigation ignored this sequence, despite the witness who filmed it testifying that Nzoy held nothing.

Our investigation uses a 67-millisecond video sequence – the only footage showing both of Nzoy’s hands. Its high resolution enabled a precise forensic analysis.

See full thread 👉

Structural racism and impunity for police-related deaths have allowed these to be perpetuated. Only a day ago, early morning on Sunday 25.08.25, a 17-year-old Black teenager died during a police chase in #Lausanne.

Our thoughts are with families of #policeviolence victims. #Justice4Nzoy #Marvin

Our analysis further locates Nzoy's killing in relation to other police-related deaths in Switzerland. In our press conference this morning, we presented our findings, including the archiveofabsence.borderforensics.org: A database of documented police-related deaths in Switzerland between 1992-2025.

Our video analysis combined with 3D-reconstruction demonstrate that Nzoy's hands were open just before the first two shots were fired at him. Contrary to the police's claims, it was thus highly unlikely that he was holding a knife at that moment.

At the family’s request, #BF has conducted an investigation over the last 2 years, in collaboration with the Independent Commission.

Our research presents new evidence and links Nzoy's killing to other cases of police-related deaths in Switzerland.

www.borderforensics.org/investigatio...

Today, we are in thoughts with the survivors of the massacre and the families of the deceased and disappeared.

We reiterate our demand for accountability. We continue to support and amplify their demands for truth and justice.

One year ago, Border Forensics published it’s damning investigation in collaboration with centreiridia.bsky.social, #AMDH and with the legal advice of @ecchr.bsky.social

Find the full investigation in AR, EN, ES, FR here 👉 www.borderforensics.org/investigatio...