Tacoma Considers Independent Review Of Manuel Ellis' Death

TACOMA, WA — Friday, the Tacoma City Council will discuss the possibility of an independent review into the death of Manuel Ellis.

Ellis, who is black, was killed while police restrained him back on March 3. The case had lain nearly dormant three months until Wednesday, when the Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office determined that the officers restraining Ellis had deprived his body of oxygen, killing him. The medical examiner then ruled his death a homicide.

The officers involved claimed that, before his death Ellis had been out of control, hitting their car and trying to fight them. They argue they restrained and cuffed Ellis in an attempt to calm him down. The Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office did determine that Ellis had methamphetamine in his system which contributed to his death, but was not the primary factor.

Following the medical examiner's ruling Wednesday morning, the four officers involved were placed on leave and there has been a massive response both from the public and from local officials. Many have noticed the similarity between Ellis' death and the death of George Floyd, another black man killed while being restrained by police and whose death sparked the series of recent mass protests across America. When discussing those protests Wednesday, Gov. Jay Inslee also called for a fuller investigation into Ellis' death.

"We will be pushing to make sure there is a full and complete investigation." said Inslee.

On Thursday, Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards issued a statement echoing Inslee's.

"I join with Governor Jay Inslee in vowing that we are determined to have a full, complete and independent investigation into the death of Manuel Ellis. Nothing less is acceptable, and I plan to discuss this further on Friday with the City Council. "

Now Tacoma City Council will discuss the possibility of an independent review at a special meeting set for Friday at 1 p.m.

The case is currently being investigated by deputies with the Pierce County Sheriff's Department, who say they are making their final preparations to present their case to the Pierce County Prosecutor's Office. A review would mean a separate agency would conduct an independent investigation in an attempt to make the case more transparent and fair. The Sheriff's Department says they welcome any possible review, according to the Tacoma News Tribune.

“We’re still going to do it but if another agency wants to review it, that’s OK with us,” Department Spokesmen Ed Troyer told the Tribune. “We’ve transparent. We’ve got nothing to hide.”

The Tacoma Police Department has identified the four officers under investigation for Ellis' death as 34-year-old Christopher Burbank, 37-year-old Matthew Collins, 28-year-old Masyih Ford, and 31-year-old Timothy Rankine. The department says officers Burbank and Collins are white, Ford is black and Rankine is Asian.

While the investigation continues, a GoFundMe campaign has been set up in Ellis' memory by his sister and Black Lives Matter Seattle-King County. The campaign describes Ellis as "a young father who loved his son and daughter and a talented musician at his church." Organizers acknowledge Ellis' struggles with addiction but say he had been trying to move past it and grow. Money raised by the GoFundMe will go to support his family, the legal fees surrounding his death, and to build a foundation raising awareness in his memory.

Learn more about the GoFundMe on its website here.

Related: Medical Examiner Rules Manuel Ellis' Death Homicide