Topline
Three police officers in Tacoma, Washington, were charged with felonies on Thursday in the death of Manuel Ellis, a 33-year-old Black man whose death in police custody came just two months before George Floyd’s murder but has failed to draw widespread national attention.
A photo of Manuel Ellis is seen near the site of his death during a vigil for him on June 3, 2020 in ... [+]
Key Facts
Ellis died in handcuffs after a confrontation with Tacoma police on March 3, 2020, with video of the incident showing officers repeatedly hitting Ellis as he was being restrained and Ellis calling out that he couldn’t breathe.
Washington State Attorney General Bob Fergueson said in a Thursday statement he has charged two of the Tacoma Police Department officers involved in the arrest—Christopher Burbank and Matthew Collins—with second degree murder.
The third officer, Timothy Rankine, faces a lesser first-degree manslaughter charge, Fergueson said.
The charges come nearly a year after Washington Gov. Jay Inslee ordered a new investigation by the Washington State Patrol into Ellis’ death after he deemed a previous probe by Pierce County investigators compromised, as it was revealed one of the county’s sheriff’s deputies was present during the arrest.
Key Background
Ellis’s death was ruled a homicide by the Pierce County Medical Examiner, who said he died from a lack of oxygen from physical restraint, his positioning and the placement of a spit mask over his face. But the report also found Ellis had a fatal amount of methamphetamine in his system and highlighted it would have been “unlikely” for his death to have occurred “due to the physical restraint alone, without the contributing conditions.” While police have alleged Ellis prompted the restraint by assaulting an officer who asked if he needed help, a witness at the scene has since argued it was the officers who initiated the violence. Video footage captured by a bystander shows the officers repeatedly hitting Ellis while he was restrained and Ellis calling out: “I can’t breathe, sir.” Five officers were placed on home leave pending the charging decision. Fergueson said the investigation into the arrest is still ongoing.
The city of Tacoma did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Forbes.
Surprising Fact
Unlike in the case of George Floyd, where video of the arrest went viral and sparked months of anti-racism protests, the video of police hitting Ellis has not gained the same widespread traction.
Further Reading
“Before the Death of Manuel Ellis, a Witness Told the Police: ‘Stop Hitting Him’” (The New York Times)
