TACOMA, Wash. (AP) A jury has cleared three Washington state police officers of all criminal charges in the 2020 death of Manuel Ellis, a Black man who was shocked, beaten and restrained face down on a Tacoma sidewalk as he pleaded for breath. Two of the officers Matthew Collins, 40, and Christopher Burbank, 38 had been charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter, while Timothy Rankine, 34, was charged with manslaughter. The Pierce County medical examiner ruled Ellis’ death a homicide caused by oxygen deprivation, but lawyers for the officers said a high level of methamphetamine in Ellis’ system and a heart irregularity were to blame. A lawyer for Ellis family says the verdict is devastating for the family and community.
TACOMA, Wash. (AP) A jury has cleared three Washington state police officers of all criminal charges in the 2020 death of Manuel Ellis, a Black man who was shocked, beaten and restrained face down on a Tacoma sidewalk as he pleaded for breath. Two of the officers Matthew Collins, 40, and Christopher Burbank, 38 had been charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter, while Timothy Rankine, 34, was charged with manslaughter. The Pierce County medical examiner ruled Ellis’ death a homicide caused by oxygen deprivation, but lawyers for the officers said a high level of methamphetamine in Ellis’ system and a heart irregularity were to blame. A lawyer for Ellis family says the verdict is devastating for the family and community.