Live updates: National Guard at County-City Building; Ellis’ family speaks about investigation
UPDATE: 9:00 p.m.
A partial video of Manuel Ellis’ fatal encounter with Tacoma police three months ago was posted on Twitter Thursday.
Two clips totaling about one minute of footage was collected from a woman who witnessed the March 3 encounter at the intersection of 96th Street South and Ainsworth Avenue.
More here from reporter Stacia Glenn.
UPDATE: 6:20 p.m.
National Guard set up at County-City building
National Guard Members have been assigned to surround the County-City building through Monday at the request of County Executive Bruce Dammeier. The 30 unarmed troops will be posted in response to two protests planned for Friday.
A #SayTheirNames protest is scheduled for 1 p.m. and a Black Lives Matter demonstration is scheduled at 4 p.m., according to a flyer about upcoming protests that is circulating on Facebook.
More here from reporter Josephine Peterson.
UPDATE: 5:47 p.m.
Ellis family calls for more transparent investigation
Marcia Carter, the mother of Manuel Ellis, was among family members who spoke Thursday at the County-City Building about the need for more transparency and a better investigation into the death of the 33-year-old while being restrained by police.
More here from reporter Stacia Glenn.
UPDATE: 3:37 p.m.
Witnesses sought in Ellis death
The Pierce County Sheriff’s Department is seeking information about three motorists or any other witnesses who were near the intersection of South 96th Street and Ainsworth Avenue on March 3 when Manuel Ellis died while being restrained by Tacoma police.
Of particular interest are one female driver in a dark-colored vehicle, a male driver possibly named “Deon” in a white vehicle and the driver of a silver sedan driving through the intersection around 11:22 p.m.
All three vehicles left the scene before backup patrol units or detectives arrived. Anyone with information on these people or other witnesses is asked to email the Sheriff’s Department at pcsheriff@co.pierce.wa.us.
UPDATE: 1:40 p.m.
Tacoma may seek independent review of Ellis case
The Tacoma City Council might ask Gov. Jay Inslee to order an independent review Manuel Ellis’ death and will discuss the matter at a special meeting Friday afternoon.
The meeting was announced shortly after Ellis’ family held a press conference Thursday demanding an independent investigation by the Washington State Attorney General’s Office.
It was not immediately clear which agency would conduct an independent review.
Currently, the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the incident. It is expected to send its findings to the Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office by next week.
More here from reporter Stacia Glenn.
UPDATE: 1:20 p.m.
UPS students organize protest march
A group of University of Puget Sound students is organizing a march Sunday. They plan to gather at the Puget Sound Memorial Field House at noon and head from there to Wright Park to call attention to police violence amid nationwide protests after the death of George Floyd.
UPDATE: 10:20 a.m.
Superior Court closed except for online
Pierce County Superior Court will close its doors at 10:30 a.m. in downtown Tacoma, in response to planned protests in the area, court officials said in a press release Thursday.
Remote hearings will happen as schedule, and criminal arraignments for the rest of the day will be broadcast online.
More here from reporter Alexis Krell.
UPDATE: 7:09 a.m.
Vigil for Ellis draws hundreds to site of death
Hundreds of people came together Wednesday evening on the Tacoma corner where Manuel Ellis drew his last breath while being restrained by police.
“The whole world is going to know about Manuel Ellis,” said his sister, Monet Carter-Mixon. “They’re going to know what happened here in Tacoma.”
Ellis’ death has been ruled a homicide by Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office, which cited respiratory arrest due to hypoxia due to physical restraint as the cause of death. The ruling came as nationwide protests have raged over the death of George Flood while be restrained by police in Minneapolis.
More here from reporter Stacia Glenn.
This story was originally published June 4, 2020 at 10:27 AM.
