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‘We are definitely in a new era’: Retired sheriff reacts to officers charged with murder

When reacting to the attorney general’s historic decision to charge three officers with felonies in the death of Manuel Ellis, retired King County Sheriff John Urquhart said he was not surprised, but trying an officer for murder and proving intent could prove challenging for prosecutors.

“I think when a police officer is the defendant, it’s always a tough case,” Urquhart said, adding that the case could pivot on the jury’s interpretation of video recorded from several angles, showing parts of the police confrontation with Ellis.

“We are definitely in a new era,” Urquhart said. “And I’m not so sure that police officers have really realized that yet, but the new area is basically cellphone video.”

Urquhart said the videos and the consistent stories from the people who recorded them were entirely different from the officers’ separate written accounts, and the video could be the tipping point at the trial.

“If you’re looking for justice, you have to search for the truth,” Urquhart said. “And video, oftentimes, will lead you to the truth.”

None of the videos show the entire interaction for its duration, unlike the clear cellphone video close-ups showing the murder of George Floyd.

“There’s plenty of witnesses in this case,” Urquhart said. “That could make the difference.”

Urquhart said every police officer is likely looking at the charging decision, wondering if their actions could one day put them on trial.

“I think there’s a lot of police officers out there that are thinking, ‘Oh my God!’ because they can see themselves in that same situation,” Urquhart said. “If I was still sheriff, my message to them would be, ‘Do what’s right, and you have nothing to worry about.”’