TACOMA, Wash. — The City of Tacoma and the Tacoma Police Department are delaying the release of the findings of an internal investigation into three Tacoma police officers who were charged and acquitted for the 2020 death of Manuel Ellis, according to a recent statement.
Tacoma City Manager Elizabeth Pauli and Tacoma Police Chief Avery Moore provided an update on the department’s internal investigation timeline on Wednesday, Jan. 10, stating that the investigations findings and police chief’s decisions will be announced Tuesday, Jan. 16.
Tacoma police officers Matthew Collins, Christopher “Shane” Burbank and Timothy Rankine faced charges of murder and manslaughter in connection to Ellis’ death. All three officers were acquitted by a jury in late December.
Once trial testimony ended on Dec. 6, the Tacoma Police Department resumed its internal investigation into the officers’ conduct with Ellis on the night of his death to review any policy violations and possible disciplinary actions.
The city previously said its investigation would include the officers' testimony; officers Rankine and Collins took to the witness stand during the 10-week trial while officer Burbank did not.
The City of Tacoma said it would provide the results of the investigation within 14 days of the jury’s Dec. 21 verdict, which was later clarified to mean 14 business days, and deliver the findings to the community by Thursday, Jan. 11.
Now, the city is pushing this date back.
“We recognize this waiting period adds another layer of frustration to an already difficult situation. We are moving as quickly as possible while preserving the integrity of the process,” a joint statement from Pauli and Moore states. “Rest assured, transparency remains our highest priority and we will share every detail allowed by law on Tuesday, January 16.”
The city said it is “bound to uphold due process,” and that the internal police department investigation is complete. The three officers have been notified of their right to attend a meeting with Police Chief Moore prior to the announcement of final discipline decisions, the statement said.
Meetings between the officers and the police chief are scheduled for Friday, Jan. 12 with the police chief’s decisions to be announced the following Tuesday, Jan. 16.
Throughout the trial, the officers remained on paid administrative leave. Three years ago, Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards called for the firing of all three officers.
Manuel Ellis, a 33-year-old Black man, died while in police custody on March 3, 2020. He was punched and tased by officers, handcuffed while repeatedly placed facedown on the pavement, and hogtied with a spit hood placed over his head. One officer, Rankine, admitted to kneeling on Ellis’ back, pressing him into the ground.
The former Pierce County medical examiner determined Ellis’ death was caused by the “constellation of restraint methods” used against him by police.
Defense for the three officers argued it was a toxic and potentially fatal level of methamphetamine discovered in Ellis’ system during the autopsy and not the actions taken by officers that caused his death.
The trial is historic in the state of Washington, being the first after the passage of Initiative 940, which removed a requirement for prosecutors to prove police were acting with malice to bring criminal charges for misusing deadly force.
