DECEMBER 22, 2023:
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.
SEPTEMBER 18, 2023:
SEATTLE (AP) — The trial is beginning for three Tacoma, Washington, police officers charged in the death of a 33-year-old Black man who was tackled, punched, shocked with a Taser and held face-down on a sidewalk in March 2020. Jury selection is set to start Monday (Sept. 18, 2023). Officers Christopher Burbank and Matthew Collins were charged with second-degree murder, and Timothy Rankine with first-degree manslaughter, in the death of Manuel Ellis. They have pleaded not guilty and opening statements are expected to begin Oct. 2, 2023. Witness say the officers slammed Ellis to the ground, unprovoked. They say the officers used a Taser, chokehold, handcuffs, a hobble around his legs and a spit hood on the non-resisting man. Ellis could be heard on a nearby security camera saying, “Can’t breathe, sir.”
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