The U.S. Justice Department has opened an investigation into potential violations of federal law by Tacoma Police officers Matthew Collins, Christopher Burbank, and Timothy Rankine in the killing of Manuel “Manny” Ellis, a 33-year-old Black man. Collins and Burbank, who are both white, and Rankine, who is Asian American, were all charged with first-degree murder–Collins and Burbank were both charged with second-degree murder. The officers were found not-guilty on all charges this past December.
The Justice Department’s investigation follows the murder trial spearheaded by the Washington State Attorney General’s Office over the killing of Ellis. Throughout the trial, the events leading to Ellis’s death on March 3, 2020, were heavily debated. It is a fact that Ellis was beaten, tased, hogtied, and eventually killed by the officers on the corner of South Ninth Street and South Ainsworth Ave, roughly seven miles from PLU campus.
Burbank and Collins claim that Ellis attacked them unprovoked with “super-human” strength, leading to a physical altercation between the officers and Ellis. Ellis told Rankine multiple times that he could not breathe while Rankine continued to apply pressure on Ellis’ neck for over nine minutes. Eye-witness testimony and video evidence contradict the officer’s stories that Ellis was the aggressor or fought back.
The defense claims that Ellis’ death can be attributed to his pre-existing heart condition and large amounts of methamphetamine that were found in his system via toxicology reports.
Toxicology reports by the Pierce County medical examiner showed that Ellis suffered from oxygen deprivation by physical restraint at the time of his death and ruled it a homicide.
After the not-guilty verdict was announced, the Ellis family attorney stated that “Black people and people of color in the city of Tacoma are in danger when they’re walking down the street alone, that they can be beaten, tased, hogtied, left for dead, and killed by law enforcement.”
At the Puyallup Tribe of Indians and the Alaska Oregon Washington State Area Conference of the NAACP, Ellis’s family spoke out, demanding a higher resolution and to “seek a consent decree or court-ordered settlement for reform,” according to KNKX.
Ellis’ sister, Monet Carter-Mixon, told reporters, “Time and time again, these police departments have shown us that they’ll collude together, they’ll cover up evidence they won’t investigate. They will not do their jobs.”
On Tuesday, January 16th, TPD Police Chief Avery Moore will announce their decision about disciplining Collins, Burbank, and Rankine, who have been on paid leave since 2021.
In response to the verdict, the Ellis family has filed a civil rights lawsuit against the city of Tacoma. More to come as the trial progresses.
