On March 3rd, 2020, Manuel Ellis, a 33-year-old black man, died in handcuffs while being restrained on the ground by police.
His death has been ruled a homicide.
On March 3rd, #ManuelEllis died at the hands of four Tacoma police officers.
Thursday, Manuel’s death was ruled a homicide. The cause: hypoxia — a lack of oxygen reaching body tissues — due to physical restraint. #ICantBreathe
New video has emerged: pic.twitter.com/M7zATj6Jof
— Nick Knudsen 🇺🇸 (@NickKnudsenUS) June 5, 2020
At the time of his death, officials said Ellis appeared to be suffering from excited delirium. However, this which often includes attempts at violence, unexpected strength and very high body temperature. They said that might have explained why Ellis allegedly banged on a patrol car and attacked two officers trying to calm him down.
The Mayor of Tacoma, Washington, Victoria Woodards has called for the firing of police officers involved in the death.
“I am demanding tonight that the Pierce County Sheriff review and confirm every action taken by each officer. I demand that the sheriff provide details of the actions of each officer on the scene and I am directing the city manager to fire each officer involved,” Woodards said at a news conference late Thursday night, adding: “The officer who committed this crime should be fired and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
The Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office determined that Ellis died of respiratory arrest due to hypoxia due to physical restraint. Contributing factors included methamphetamine intoxication and dilated cardiomyopathy, commonly known as an enlarged heart.
New video shows Tacoma police officer punching, restraining Manuel Ellis before he died :A new video was released this week, three months after Tacoma police killed Manuel Ellis while he was being restrained.4 Jun 2020 pic.twitter.com/YRvBlyG28L
— 🌐World News 24 🌍🌎🌏 (@DailyWorld24) June 5, 2020
The Mayor of Tacoma, Washington, Victoria Woodards, called for the firing of police officers involved in the death of Manuel Ellis. Ellis, a 33-year-old black man, died on March 3 in handcuffs while being restrained on the ground by police.
“I am demanding tonight that the Pierce County Sheriff review and confirm every action taken by each officer. I demand that the sheriff provide details of the actions of each officer on the scene and I am directing the city manager to fire each officer involved,” Woodards said at a news conference late Thursday night, adding: “The officer who committed this crime should be fired and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
The recent protests are drawing new attention to the death of a black man in Tacoma, Washington, caught on camera 3 months ago. Manuel Ellis died from oxygen deprivation after police physically restrained him. The 33-year-old was heard on a police scanner saying "I can't breathe" pic.twitter.com/ctx6ovluEc
— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) June 5, 2020
The Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office determined that Ellis died of respiratory arrest due to hypoxia due to physical restraint, The News Tribune reported. Contributing factors included methamphetamine intoxication and dilated cardiomyopathy, commonly known as an enlarged heart. The Medical Examiner ruled Ellis’ death a homicide.
A Problem Rooted In The System
“The harshest of realities is George Floyd is right here in Tacoma, and his name is Manny,” attorney James Bible, who is representing Ellis’ family, told the News Tribune.
Protesters in Tacoma have marched for several days against police brutality and racial inequality. There are similarities in the deaths of Ellis and Floyd, who both expressed that they couldn’t breathe before his passing.
Here is the full statement by the Tacoma Police Union regarding the mayor’s call for the officers involved in Manuel Ellis’ death to be fired. pic.twitter.com/DCeEGzEtX8
— Stacia Glenn (@stacia_glenn) June 5, 2020
On the night Ellis died, police encountered him at 11:22 p.m. as he was walking home. He was reportedly harassing a woman at an intersection according to police. When two officers asked what he was doing, police say Ellis said he had warrants and wanted to talk to them.
Then he repeatedly struck their patrol car. The two officers inside called for backup then got out of the car.
“He picked up the officer by his vest and slam-dunked him on the ground,” said Ed Troyer, spokesman of the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department, which is investigating the incident.
There was a struggle before police got Ellis handcuffed on the ground and officers called for paramedics at 11:25 p.m. However, within a minute of firefighters arriving, Ellis stopped breathing and lost consciousness. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
https://twitter.com/sean_roulette/status/1268886704942768130?s=20
Tacoma police identified the four officers involved in restraining Ellis: Christopher Burbank, Matthew Collins, Masyih Ford and Timothy Rankine.
Burbank and Collins are white while Ford is black and Rankine is Asian. All four were placed on paid administrative leave after the incident. They were placed on leave a second time after returning for duty, according to Ramsdell.
Hundreds gathered at a vigil for Ellis late Wednesday.
The protests will continue as more police brutality circumstances come to the light during the protest movement.
