TACOMA, Wash. — Deliberations in the trial of three Tacoma police officers charged in the death of Manuel Ellis have restarted after a juror was replaced with an alternate on Monday morning.
Jurors were handed the case on Thursday afternoon and deliberated Friday, meaning the court has been set back by nearly two days in their efforts to reach a verdict.
The juror who was replaced in deliberations has not been excused. They will instead serve as a second alternate in case a different jury member has to drop out of deliberations.
This is the third jury shakeup in the trial so far. Two jurors were excused in November after one came down with COVID-19 and the other experienced transportation challenges.
The trial is headed into its eleventh week. If the jury does not reach a verdict by Friday, Dec. 22, proceedings will be paused until the new year.
What to know about the trial of 3 Tacoma officers
Manuel Ellis, a 33-year-old Black man, died in Tacoma police custody while handcuffed and hogtied on the night of March 3, 2020.
Officers Christopher Burbank and Matthew Collins are charged with second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter related to Ellis' death. Officer Timothy Rankine is charged with first-degree manslaughter.
The former Pierce County medical examiner determined that Ellis’ death was caused by the “constellation of restraint methods” used against him by police. Ellis’ legs were tied together and connected to his hands, which were cuffed behind his back. A spit hood had also been placed over his head and one officer, Rankine, admitted to kneeling on Ellis’ back, pressing him into the ground.
Video taken by eyewitnesses to the confrontation between police and Ellis shows Collins throwing punches and Burbank aiming a Taser at Ellis’ chest while Ellis could be seen putting his hands in the air. Defense for the officers argued that eyewitness video, which was crucial in getting Ellis’ death investigated by the Washington State Attorney General’s Office, only showed a small part of the fight and did not capture the very beginning, where they allege Ellis was the aggressor.