TACOMA, Wash. — Three Tacoma police officers charged Thursday in the death of Manuel Ellis remain on paid administrative leave with the city.
Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson charged officers Christopher Burbank and Matthew Collins with second-degree murder, and officer Timothy Rankine was charged with first-degree manslaughter following the death of Ellis in March of 2020. The three officers were booked into the Pierce County Jail Thursday afternoon.
Investigators determined the officers used excessive force during their interaction with Ellis last year.
“When will these officers be fired?” Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards asked City Manager Elizabeth Pauli during a special meeting of the city council following the attorney general's announcement.
Pauli said the city has not been able to start its internal investigation because the evidence has been tied up with the state’s investigation.
Tacoma's Interim Police Chief Mike Ake knows the department needs to restore the community’s trust.
“We realize we must reduce outcomes that cause pain and diminish trust within our community,” said Interim Police Chief Mike Ake, “We are committed to upholding accountability of individual officers who violate their oath to protect and serve.”
Woodards asked for patience from those calling for the officers to be fired.
“I want to thank the community and especially the Ellis family for the extreme patience you all have demonstrated throughout the investigation of this case,” Woodards said in a speech given on Facebook Thursday, “It will no doubt intensify questions about the safety of Black lives here in the city of Tacoma.”
State Representative Melanie Morgan, D-Pierce County, whose legislative district includes the neighborhood where Ellis was killed, called Manuel Ellis the George Floyd of Washington state.
“There are too many stories that are not being told of Black or Brown people being murdered on these streets,” said Morgan, “Today we said something loudly in the state of Washington. Enough is enough!”
Morgan supported bills in the legislature this session calling for more police accountability and limiting what tactics officers can use. The neck restraint investigators said officers used against Ellis was outlawed in one bill.
Morgan said the charges against the officers mean some justice has been served, but said that won’t fully happen unless the officers are convicted.
“Now the real test begins,” said Morgan.