Tacoma police chief welcomes state probe of ‘exemplary officers’ involved in Ellis death
Tacoma Police Chief Don Ramsdell on Thursday spoke publicly about the Manuel Ellis case for the first time.
He talked about his concern over the autopsy findings from Ellis’ March 3 death while in police custody, his support for a new, independent investigation ordered by Gov. Jay Inslee and the four officers involved in the incident.
Due to a new law that went into effect Jan. 5, the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department took over the investigation into Ellis’ death so Ramsdell was not kept apprised of new developments.
The chief did not know Ellis’ cause of death - oxygen deprivation due to physical restraint, according to the Medical Examiner - before the information was made public.
Ramsdell issued a statement then expressing his condolences to Ellis’ family and friends.
After hearing the findings, in an unprecedented move, he placed the four involved officers on paid administrative leave for a second time.
“We knew it would be very difficult for the officers to be out in the street with this pending, and for safety issues as well,” Ramsdell told The News Tribune.
The Police Department identified the four officers involved in restraining Ellis as Christopher Burbank, 34; Matthew Collins, 37; Masyih Ford, 28; and Timothy Rankine, 31.
They were first placed on paid administrative leave after Ellis’ death, which is standard procedure in a police custody death or officer-involved shooting.
All four officers returned to work after providing statements on the incident and being cleared by a psychologist.
Burbank, Collins, Ford and Rankine were returned to leave June 3.
Ramsdell, who has led the department since 2003, said the decision to place them on administrative leave did not occur because he believed the officers did anything wrong.
He’s waiting for investigators and prosecutors to determine that.
Although he did not speak about the involved officers in detail, he did express his general support of their performances.
“These are officers that have been very highly dedicated officers for our department,” Ramsdell said. “They all are exemplary officers and have done great work throughout the community.”
He said he’s been speaking with all four on a regular basis.
As for a new investigation ordered by Inslee and Attorney General Bob Ferguson that does not involve Pierce County law enforcement, Ramsdell said he welcomes it.
“I think it’s the right thing to do based on the circumstances,” he told The News Tribune. “The facts will remain the facts and I support any investigation that is going to be independent and transparent.”
State officials have not yet determined who will launch a new investigation into Ellis’ death, which occurred at the intersection of 96th Street South and Ainsworth Avenue South.
Sheriff’s investigators and police have said Ellis struck a patrol car and attacked an officer, starting a struggle during which Ellis said, ‘I can’t breathe, sir, I can’t breathe.”
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Ellis died of oxygen deprivation due to physical restraint, with contributing factors of methamphetamine intoxication and heart disease, according to a Medical Examiner’s report.
