SEATTLE — The family of Manuel Ellis has sued over his death which happened while he was beaten and restrained by Tacoma police officers who have been charged criminally in his killing.
Attorneys for Ellis' sister, Monet Carter-Mixon, filed the civil rights and wrongful death lawsuit in U.S. District Court late Friday against the city of Tacoma, Pierce County and several individual officers.
Ellis, a 33-year-old Black man, died March 3, 2020, just weeks before George Floyd’s death triggered a nationwide reckoning on race and policing. Ellis repeatedly told the officers he couldn't breathe. Three officers have pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder or manslaughter.
