3 police officers found not guilty in Manny Ellis case

A jury has cleared three Tacoma police officers of all criminal charges in the 2020 death of Manny Ellis.

Ellis, a 33-year-old Black man, died in Tacoma police custody on the night of March 3, 2020, following a confrontation with police officers Christopher Burbank, Matthew Collins and Timothy Rankine.

The officers were charged with first-degree manslaughter for killing Ellis. Collins and Burbank also faced charges of second-degree murder. The defendants previously pleaded not guilty. They were free on bail while remaining on paid leave from the Tacoma Police Department.

Over the course of the trial, the prosecution called upon more than 20 witnesses, including medical and crime scene experts, local law enforcement and eyewitnesses. Attorneys for the state argued the police officers illegally stopped and assaulted Ellis, putting him in hogtie restraints until he suffocated to death.

https://mynorthwest.com/3944026/officers-charged-with-killing-manny-ellis-found-not-guilty/