Death of Manuel Ellis in Tacoma will get full investigation, governor says

Gov. Jay Inslee said Wednesday that he and Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards will push to make sure there is a “full and complete investigation into the death” of Manuel Ellis.

Ellis, a black man, died on March 3 in handcuffs while being restrained on the ground by Tacoma police. The Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office has determined that Ellis died of respiratory arrest due to hypoxia due to physical restraint. Hypoxia is a deficiency in the amount of oxygen reaching body tissues.

“I know finding out the full circumstances of that event is a top priority for her and it is a top priority for me,” he said, referring to Woodards. “We know that we have to continue to push for de-escalation interactions between law enforcement and our community members.”

The Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled Ellis’ death a homicide, which legally means he was killed by another person. Fatal police shootings, for instance, are generally determined to be homicides. It is up to prosecutors to decide if police acted lawfully and if the homicide was justifiable or a criminal act was committed.

The Pierce County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the incident. Tacoma police said of the officers involved in restraining, two are white, one is black and one is Asian.

Inslee said he all knew about the incident was that the 33-year-old Ellis died while “under restraint” by Tacoma police officers.

Asked if the officers should be charged in Ellis’ death, Inslee said: “I can’t render judgment on that right now because I virtually shared all that I know. So I know enough to know there has to be a very thorough investigation to lead wherever the evidence goes and people need to make appropriate decisions -- and that could include criminal prosecutions.”

Ellis’ death triggers an independent investigation under Initiative 940, which voters approved in 2018 and the Legislature amended a year later.

“The situation in Tacoma will have to be investigated by an independent agency to make sure that it’s not tainted in some way,” he said.

There are similarities in the deaths of Ellis and George Floyd, who died in Minneapolis after a white police officer pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes.

Both were black men handcuffed in the street after police encounters, died after lapsing into unconsciousness, and due to a lack of oxygen while being restrained.

At one point during his encounter with Tacoma officers, Ellis can be heard yelling, “Can’t breathe,” according to a 12-minute police radio recording.

A video taken by a bystander shows one of the Minneapolis officers kneeling on Floyd’s neck as Floyd repeatedly says, “I can’t breathe.”

In response to a reporter’s question about his message for those who will compare Ellis’ death to that of Floyd, Inslee said: “We know that this will cause enormous concern, anger and frustration at the very moment when our community is crying out for racial justice...That’s human. That’s natural. And we ought to expect it and understand it.

“And when people decide how they’re going to act tonight and the next few days, I just hope they hope they keep their eyes on the prize. I’m a child of the ‘60s and the civil rights movement and that was the language, ‘keep your eyes on the prize’ and really figure out what is going to move the needle in racial justice,” the governor added.

Also at Wednesday’s press conference, Inslee referred to a video of a State Patrol officer who told fellow officers “Don’t kill them, but hit them hard” as they prepared to clear protesters from Seattle streets on Tuesday evening.

“The language that he used was not in keeping with what we expect of our State Patrol officers,” Inslee said, noting that the State Patrol had apologized for the incident.

Inslee said he has asked State Patrol Chief John Batiste to “fully review that situation and make any appropriate response that is necessary.”

This story was originally published June 3, 2020 at 3:00 PM.