Three Tacoma, Washingtonpolice officers have been charged in the death of Manuel Ellis, who died last March after being restrained while telling officers he couldn’t breathe.
The Associated Press reports that Christopher Burbank and Matthew Collins have been charged with second-degree murder, and Timothy Rankin with first-degree manslaughter. The three cops have been on paid administrative leave since last June.
“Ellis died during the course of and in furtherance of Burbank and Collins’ felonious assault and/or unlawful imprisonment of Ellis,” prosecutors wrote in the charging document, per The News Tribune. If Burbank and Collins are convicted, they could face life in prison, while Rankine could serve 6.5 to 8.5 years. Officers have never before been criminally charged by the Attorney General’s office for illegally using deadly force.
Authorities cast Ellis as the aggressor and said he attempted to charge an officer as he was getting out of a police vehicle. However, witnesses said that wasn’t the case, using footage to back up their claims that Rankin put his knee on Ellis’ back. Witnesses also said that Burbank and Collins attacked Ellis, who was caught on video saying, “I can’t breathe,” for no reason, The medical examiner said the 33-year-old died from a lack of oxygen due to being restrained.
“Ellis was not fighting back. All three civilian witnesses at the intersection … state that they never saw Ellis strike at the officers,” court documents said. Five officers in total have been placed on paid home leave as they await charges.
While Ellis suffered from mental illness and addiction, he had recently started pursuing mental health care for his schizophrenia and living at a sober housing facility.
