Pierce County Council candidate shot at suspected car thief in Tacoma, authorities say
A Pierce County Council candidate who bailed out three Tacoma police officers involved in Manuel Ellis’ death is the man who allegedly shot at a car theft suspect May 30 near Cheney Stadium.
Josh Harris, the alleged shooter, is running on a law and order platform.
Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office spokesperson Adam Faber confirmed Harris’ identity Wednesday in response to news media inquiries.
The Prosecuting Attorney’s Office will wait until the police investigation is finished before deciding if any charges will be filed against Harris, Faber said.
On Monday, Harris, 47, and another person went to the encampment looking to recover stolen property, according to police. There, they found a 40-year-old man who, Harris told police, threatened to kill him.
The car theft suspect got in a stolen car and drove it past police officers and toward Harris and the other person. Harris shot into the vehicle, police said.
On Tuesday, the suspect was found wounded at the same encampment and was transported to a local hospital. He was still being treated as of Wednesday afternoon, according to Tacoma Police spokesperson Wendy Haddow.
When released, he will be booked for possession of a stolen vehicle and assault, she said.
Harris did not return numerous requests for comment from The News Tribune on the May 30 shooting.
Candidate for County Council
Earlier in May, Harris filed as a Republican to run for the Pierce County Council District 7 seat to represent Gig Harbor and Key Peninsulas, Fox Island and parts of north and west Tacoma.
He is one of five candidates — one Democrat and four other Republicans — who filed to replace incumbent Derek Young, who has served the maximum number of terms allowed by law.
“Public safety is number one ... I’m not running to be an R or a D,” Harris told The News Tribune in May. Harris, 47, owns a construction company.
He was a volunteer firefighter at University Place for six years, served on the CrimeStoppers board for eight years, and his brother is a Tacoma police chaplain.
Harris said he believes recent state legislation, public backlash and low pay have left law enforcement demoralized. He wants officers to feel supported, which led to his decision to bail out the Tacoma officers criminally charged in the Ellis case.
As first reported by the Seattle Times, Harris has a criminal history dating to 1991.
Those convictions, all from Pierce County, include first-degree theft in 2003; first-degree theft in 1993; second-degree possession of stolen property in 1992; and first-degree possession of stolen property in 1991, court records show.
He saw his right to carry a gun revoked in 2003 as part of a conviction for first-degree theft, court records show.
In 2013, after being crime-free for more than five years, he petitioned Pierce County Superior Court for restoration of his right to own firearms, which is permissible under state law. That request was approved by Judge James Orlando in April of that year, court records show.
Manuel Ellis
Harris told The News Tribune he spent $300,000 to bail out Christopher Burbank, 35; Matthew Collins, 38; and Timothy Rakine, 32. Burbank and Collins were charged with second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter. Rankine was charged with first-degree manslaughter. The officers charged have pleaded not guilty. Each of the officer’s bail was set at $100,000.
Ellis died in March 2020 while police officers restrained him. The Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled his death a homicide, citing lack of oxygen as a cause. That office also indicated the restraints police used contributed to his death.
This story was originally published June 1, 2022 at 4:38 PM.
