US Attorney to review case over death of Manuel Ellis at hands of Tacoma police

TACOMA, Wash. — Western Washington’s U.S. Attorney’s office is opening an independent review into the case surrounding the death Manuel Ellis, weeks after three Tacoma police officers were acquitted for their respective roles last month.

This will operate as review of evidence in the state’s case, with the goal of determining whether the officers violated any civil rights matters.

“If that death reveals violations of federal crime statues, the Justice Department will take appropriate action,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a written statement to KIRO 7.

A jury found Tacoma officers Christopher Burbank, Matthew Collins, and Timothy Rankine not guilty on murder and manslaughter charges in late December. That came after an intense and emotional 10-week trial, where the defense asserted that Ellis’ death at the hands of officers was largely the fault of an enlarged heart and methamphetamine in his system.

Prosecutors pointed to how officers allegedly beat, tased, and choked Ellis. Videos taken by witnesses show Ellis telling officers he couldn’t breathe, while they had him hogtied, handcuffed, and pressed to the ground. The Pierce County Medical Examiner later ruled that Ellis died from oxygen deprivation.

The status of Burbank, Collins, and Rankine’s employment with TPD is still under review.

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