A jury cleared three Washington state police officers of all charges in the 2020 death of Manuel Ellis, a Black man who was shocked, assaulted, and detained on a Tacoma sidewalk while he pleaded for air. The cops, Matthew Collins, Christopher Burbank, and Timothy Rankine, faced second-degree murder and manslaughter charges. Their jury acquitted them on all counts.
Matthew Ericksen, the family’s attorney, lamented, “The biggest reason why I personally think this jury found reasonable doubt is because the defence was essentially allowed to put Manny Ellis on trial.” Ericksen said the defense’s attention on Ellis’s arrests unduly biassed jurors against the victim.
“The not guilty verdict is further proof the system is broken, failing the very people it should serve.” WA Coalition for Police Accountability
A police confrontation killed 33-year-old Black man Manuel Ellis as he walked home with doughnuts in Tacoma on March 3, 2020. Ellis allegedly became belligerent when questioned by cops while trying to enter a passing automobile. Some witnesses said Ellis did not provoke them, contradicting the police’ account.
The distressing doorbell surveillance film showed Ellis surrendering with his hands up as officers tased and restrained him. Even though Ellis kept saying he couldn’t breathe, the situation deteriorated, killing him.
According to the cops’ attorneys, Ellis died from a deadly amount of methamphetamine and an underlying heart disease, not the officers’ conduct.
The verdict revived police accountability and justice reform discussions. Advocates say the verdict highlights systemic faults in the criminal justice system and calls for police conduct and force rules to be revisited.
The two-month trial was the first under a five-year-old state law to make prosecuting police suspected of wrongful use of deadly force easier. The Washington Coalition for Police Accountability said, “the not guilty verdict is further proof the system is broken, failing the very people it should be serving.”
Washington Governor Jay Inslee said, “A full airing of the evidence was important for all sides in this tragedy, and that’s what happened here.” Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards pledged to make the city just, honest, and safer for all people. The verdicts would not alter the internal police department inquiry.
After settling a federal wrongful death lawsuit against Pierce County for $4 million last year, the Ellis family is now dealing with the emotional toll. The case highlights the need for criminal justice system reform, along with the police accountability and racial justice movement. As judicial reform conversations grow, Manuel Ellis’s tragic death symbolises the larger concerns of accountability and equity.
Manuel Ellis’ family is upset and the community is calling for justice reform after the sentence. The case rallied Pacific Northwest racial justice supporters, though it received less national attention than George Floyd’s murder. However, the trial verdict, video footage, and witness statements raise doubts regarding law enforcement accountability.
The Ellis family’s attorney, Matthew Ericksen, was concerned about the defense’s strategy, which focused on Manuel Ellis’s law enforcement history. He claimed this strategy distracted from the police’ actions on that fateful day and may have swayed the jury.
Police investigations must be more accountable and transparent, activists say. The Pierce County Sheriff’s Office’s original inquiry was flawed, highlighting the need for independent oversight to ensure fair and impartial reviews of such situations.
The discussion has switched to the urgent need for legal changes to prosecute police misbehaviour. Reforms that prioritise accountability, transparency, and citizens’ rights and eliminate biassed trial narratives are being sought.
The Ellis family suffered, and Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson praised the jury, court, and his legal team. However, the not guilty decision has left many disappointed, emphasising the continuous effort to change the criminal justice system.
