TACOMA, Wash. — Tacoma has hit a grim milestone for many of its residents: it’s been two years since the death of Manuel Ellis.
Ellis was killed back in 2020 while being taken into police custody.
Video of the incident shows Ellis being repeatedly punched and choked and officers using a Taser and kneeling on him.
Ellis was pronounced dead at the scene. His death was later ruled a homicide by the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Now, two years later, the city is still waiting for a resolution.
“There’s still no justice, you know? He’s buried, but there’s no honor,” said Pastor Gregory Christopher, president of the Tacoma Ministerial Alliance. “There’s a wound that’s still open in the lives of people of color, especially his family, and we can’t even begin to heal because after two years and still, there’s no justice for Manuel Ellis, so we’re really in a bad place.”
Since Ellis’ death, Tacoma has seen changes to its city council and police department, including a new chief.
But what hasn’t changed is the employment status of the three officers who were charged for Ellis’ death. Timothy Rankine, Christopher Burbank and Matthew Collins all remain fully employed by the Tacoma Police Department, something LegallyBlack founder Tisha Marie said only pours salt in a deep wound.
“By keeping the officers on payroll, the city manager, city executive and our officials and police department are sending a message that we don’t care that we killed another unarmed Black man, and we’re gonna continue to pay them,” she said.
But James Bible, the attorney for the Ellis family, said they have no intention of stopping until justice is served because the consequences go much further.
“What’s really in the balance in cases like Manny Ellis is not just whether Black Lives Matter but whether Black people are treated as humans,” Bible said.
KING 5 reached out to the Tacoma Police Department, but they said they cannot comment on an open investigation.
The trial date for the three officers charged in Ellis' death is scheduled for Oct. 3, 2022.
