Today, Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced the filing of felony charges against three Tacoma Police Department officers involved in the homicide of Manuel Ellis. The Attorney General charged Christopher Burbank and Matthew Collins with second-degree murder and Timothy Rankine with first-degree manslaughter. Ferguson filed the charges in Pierce County Superior Court.
If convicted, the standard sentencing range for second-degree murder with no prior criminal history is 10 to 18 years in prison. The standard range for First-Degree Manslaughter with no prior criminal history is 6.5 to 8.5 years. The maximum sentence for both offenses is life in prison. Warrants have been issued for the three officers’ arrest.
This is the first time the Washington Attorney General’s Office (AGO) has criminally charged police officers for the unlawful use of deadly force, and just the second time homicide charges have been filed in Washington against law enforcement officers since Washingtonians adopted Initiative 940 in November 2018.
Ellis was killed on March 3, 2020, in Tacoma while being detained by Tacoma Police. The investigation was originally handled by the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office. Months later, it was revealed that Pierce County Sheriff’s personnel were involved in Ellis’ detention. Subsequently, Gov. Jay Inslee directed the Washington State Patrol to investigate Manuel Ellis’ death and referred the charging decision to the Attorney General.
Ferguson assembled a multidisciplinary team to assist in reviewing the investigation and making the charging decision. The review team included leaders in the office, assistant attorneys general from the Robert Keppel Criminal Justice and Wing Luke Civil Rights Divisions, a special assistant attorney general, and two retired judges, Judge Frank Cuthbertson and Judge Ronald Cox.
The AGO conducted additional investigation. The office interviewed new witnesses and identified and examined additional forensic evidence. The office retained an expert on police use of force. The Office also retained video and audio experts to synchronize the different audio and visual evidence captured by multiple sources, and produce a comprehensive transcript of the incident. All of this work was critical for the review team and the use of force expert. Consequently, a charging decision could not be made until its completion in May 2021.
According to the AGO, the current charges are based on the evidence available at this time. The office’s investigation remains ongoing.
Due to the Rules of Professional Conduct govern what a prosecutor in a criminal case may say publicly before trial, the Attorney General’s Office and its representatives are prohibited from making public statements beyond the narrow scope allowed by the Rules of Professional Conduct.
Washington State Governor Jay Inslee issued the following statement after the Attorney General’s Office announced the charges:
“In June, I called for a new investigation and for the attorney general to make a charging decision in the case, as it was clear to me that those needed to be made independent from Pierce County law enforcement. The resulting charging decision that was made today by Attorney General Bob Ferguson is the result of that investigation. This decision is within the authority of the attorney general’s office and I look forward to a full briefing on their findings.
“This is the first step in our system of justice.
“This year, I signed more than 12 bills creating the most comprehensive police accountability laws in the nation. It is my fervent hope that we can avoid future incidents and deaths.
“We must remain proactive – from those of us in elected office to those providing services in our communities – to turn the tide of injustice. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, ‘the moral arc of the universe bends toward justice,’ and it takes all of us to usher it into existence.”
