TACOMA Wash. (Washington Insider Magazine) – Manuel Ellis’ family has secured a $4 million settlement agreement with one of the 2 government agencies involved in a wrongful death case filed by his family 2 years ago while he begged for air.
According to ABC NEWS, the Pierce County Council will decide about whether or not to authorize the settlement on Tuesday.
Marcia Carter and Monet Carter-Mixon, Ellis’ mother and sister, are still pursuing a federal civil rights and wrongful death case against the city of Tacoma and many officers involved, several of whom have been charged criminally.
Ellis, 33, passed away on March 3, 2020, two weeks ahead George Floyd’s killing sparked a national debate about racism and policing. While walking home from a convenience shop with a bottle of water and a box of doughnuts, he was stopped by police.
After witnesses alleged that Tacoma law enforcement officers Matthew Collins and Christopher Burbank assaulted Ellis without provocation, Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson charged them with second-degree murder.
Officer Timothy Rankine, an Asian officer, has been charged with first-degree homicide. According to a probable cause declaration filed in Pierce County Superior Court, he is suspected of kneeling on Ellis’ shoulder and back as Ellis continuously complained that he couldn’t breathe.
Deputy Gary Sanders, a Pierce County Sheriff deputy, grabbed Ellis’ leg and helped in detaining him as Tacoma police cuffed and hogtied him. In their lawsuit, the family blasted the deputies for failing to assist Ellis despite his suffering.
According to testimony from other officials contained in the court documents, Collins and Burbank reported the incident when they noticed Ellis attempting to get into parked cars at a stoplight; they claimed Ellis smashed the glass of their vehicle and assaulted them as they stepped out.
Ellis’ death was ruled a murder by the Pierce County medical examiner due to a lack of oxygen induced by restraint, with an expanded heart and methamphetamine intoxication as relevant causes.
Ellis’ death became linked with calls for justice at rallies in the Pacific Northwest after his death. A home security camera caught his dying words, “I can’t breathe, sir!” as well as one of the cops’ replies, “Shut the (expletive) up, man.”
