We Are Outraged: Tacoma Police Officers Not Held Accountable for Murder of Manny Ellis
Criminal Trial of Police Officers is Historic Milestone, but the Verdict Does Not Represent Justice
SEATTLE, WA, 12/21/2023—The Washington Coalition for Police Accountability (WCPA), an organization led by families who’ve lost loved ones to police violence, decried the not guilty verdict of Tacoma police officers Matthew Collins, Christopher Burbank, and Timothy Rankine who faced felony charges in the death of Manuel "Manny" Ellis, a 33-year-old Black man who was killed by police on March 3, 2020. WCPA says the not guilty verdict is further proof the system is broken, failing the very people it should be serving.
In Washington state, this is just the 5th criminal trial of police officers charged with homicide in the past 100 years, although an average of 40 people are killed by Washington state law enforcement each year. Initiative 940, which was passed by an overwhelming majority of voters in 2018, removed some of the barriers facing families impacted by police violence and in turn helped make this trial possible. Families face nearly insurmountable challenges to justice from conflicts of interest and lack of accountability. This verdict shows the stark contrast of our state’s statutory duty to protect and preserve all human life with the reality of systemic, wrongful use of force by police.
WCPA member Po Leapai, whose cousin, Iosia Faletogo, was killed by Seattle police in 2018, was in the courtroom nearly every day of the trial. Leapai shared:
“I attended the trial to support the family of Manny Ellis and show respect for his precious life which was wrongfully taken by police. It’s important to show the courts and law enforcement that we are concerned about their conduct and lack of accountability. Just being in this courtroom is a milestone in the journey to pursue justice for families like mine. When preventable deaths keep happening as a result of police violence it’s easy to feel hopeless and helpless. Seeing these officers stand trial gave me a sense of hope, but this verdict proves just how far we have to go to hold police accountable for killing our family members.”
Leslie Cushman, who helped lead the campaign for Initiative 940, also watched the trial in the courtroom. Cushman added:
“For the first time in decades, police officers were criminally tried for a death caused by their neglect and recklessness. During the trial we saw just how much the system is designed to uphold the status quo.There was a relentless focus on the victim’s life, his medical background, and criminal history. Yet, the Tacoma officers’ training, prior misconduct, and coverup of this crime was all off limits in this trial. The judge and the defense regularly joked, in stark contrast to the seriousness of the death of this innocent man. Nothing about this trial or the police violence that led to the preventable death was funny. Families face nearly insurmountable challenges to justice from conflicts of interest and lack of accountability embedded in the current system.”
Sonia Joseph, WCPA Board President, whose son, 20-year-old Giovonn Joseph-McDade, was shot and killed by police in 2017 said, in a statement:
“While getting these officers to trial was a huge milestone, we have a long way to go to remove the legal and cultural barriers to holding police accountable. That’s why the Washington Coalition for Police Accountability is calling on legislators to support additional measures needed to bring about systemic change to address systemic problems. We can and we must prevent more families from experiencing the devastating loss of their loved ones. Our work is far from done.”
For more information about the Washington Coalition for Police Accountability and our policy change priorities, visit https://www.washingtoncoalitionforpoliceaccountability.com/
