OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Three Tacoma police officers avoided criminal charges in the 2020 death of Manuel Ellis, a black man who was shocked, beaten and restrained face down on the sidewalk, pleading for air. by the neighboring sheriff’s office, where one of the people was hired.
The Olympia, Wash.-based Thurston County Sheriff’s Office announced on its Facebook page Monday that it has hired former Tacoma police officer Christopher Burbank as a patrol deputy.
Manuel Ellis, the black man who died during a confrontation with police in Washington state, was not a threat, witnesses say.
Burbank and two other officers, Timothy Rankin and Matthew Collins, were each cleared of criminal charges by a Pierce County jury in December. Rankin was charged with manslaughter, and Collins and Burbank were charged with manslaughter and second-degree murder.
Tacoma Police Officers Matthew Collins, Timothy Rankin, and Christopher “Shane” Burbank speak with their attorneys and co-defendants during Burbank’s pretrial motions in the Manny Ellis murder case, September 18, 2023 (September 2023) (Pierce County Superior Court, Nov. 18) Tacoma, Wash. Burbank, one of three Tacoma police officers who escaped criminal charges in the 2020 Ellis death, has been hired by a nearby sheriff’s office. The Thurston County Sheriff’s Department announced Monday, April 1, 2024, that it has hired Burbank as a patrol deputy. (Brian Hayes/News Tribune, Associated Press, Pool)
Their lawyers argued that Ellis’ death was caused by a lethal dose of methamphetamine and heart disease, not the actions of the officers. The Pierce County Coroner ruled the death a homicide and said the death was caused by a lack of oxygen during physical restraint.
On March 3, 2020, Ellis, 33, was returning home after buying donuts at a 7-Eleven in Tacoma, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) south of Seattle, when he and Collins and Burbank stopped at a red light. I passed a police car. internal.
Officers said they saw Ellis trying to open the door of a passing car at an intersection and when they tried to question him about it, he became aggressive. Mr. Collins testified that Mr. Ellis displayed “superhuman strength” by lifting Mr. Collins off the ground and throwing him into the air.
However, three witnesses testified that they saw nothing of the sort. After what appeared to be a brief conversation between Ellis and her officers, both of whom were white, Burbank, who was in the passenger seat, threw open the door and pushed Ellis to the ground, police said. Rankin, who arrived after Ellis was already face down and handcuffed, knelt on Ellis’ back.
Witnesses, one of whom yelled at the officer to stop attacking Ellis, and a doorbell surveillance camera captured video of part of the encounter. The video shows Ellis raising her hands in a surrender position as Burbank fires a Taser into her chest and Collins puts his arms around her neck from behind. Ta.
His death came nearly three months before the killing of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police sparked international protests against police brutality.
The Tacoma Police Department found that the officers did not violate its then-current use-of-force policy, which has since been updated and gave each of the three officers $500,000 in severance pay.
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The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Seattle said it was reviewing the case. The Justice Department could prosecute for federal civil rights violations, but the scope of its review was not disclosed.
Last year, the Ellis family settled a federal wrongful death lawsuit against Pierce County, home of Tacoma, for $4 million.
The trial was the first under a five-year-old state law designed to make it easier to prosecute police accused of improperly using deadly force.
