JUSTICE

Officers Charged With Murder in Death of Black Man Who Said He Couldn’t Breathe

Disturbing video of Manuel Ellis’ death shows officers hitting the 33-year-old and putting him in a chokehold.

More than a year after Manuel Ellis, a Black man, died in handcuffs in Tacoma, Washington, charges have been filed against three of the officers who helped physically restrain him. Warrants have been issued for the arrests of Christopher Burbank and Matthew Collins, who are charged with second-degree murder, as well as Timothy Rankine, who is charged with first-degree manslaughter. Disturbing video of the incident that ended with Ellis’ death shows the officers hitting the 33-year-old as well as putting him in a chokehold. At one point, Ellis cried out, “I can’t breathe.” The Pierce County Medical Examiner has called Ellis’ death a homicide, while noting that the lethal amount of methamphetamine in his system should be considered a “primary factor.” The attorney general’s office is said to be interviewing additional witnesses and examining new forensic evidence related to the case.