$4M settlement in Manuel Ellis Case. Wash Cops Held a Black Man Down in a Hobble Restraint and After he Told Them He Couldn't Breathe Cops Put a Spit Mask Over His Face, Murdering him. Charges Pending

From [HERE] The family of Manuel Ellis, a Black man killed by police in Washington State two years ago as he pleaded for breath, has now reached a $4 million proposed settlement with one of the two government agencies it named in a wrongful death lawsuit.

“We are happy to have reached this agreement with the County,” the family’s attorney, Matthew A. Ericksen Sr., said in an email. “By reaching this resolution Pierce County has established a foundation upon which the Ellis family and the community can begin the process of moving forward.”

Ellis’ sister, Monet Carter-Mixon, and mother, Marcia Carter, continue to pursue their federal civil rights and wrongful death lawsuit against the city of Tacoma and against several individual officers, some of whom have been charged criminally.

Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson charged Tacoma police officers Christopher Burbank and Matthew Collins, who are White, with second-degree murder after witnesses reported that they attacked Ellis without provocation.

Manuel Ellis was a 33-year-old black man who died on March 3, 2020, during an arrest by police officers. The Pierce County Sheriff’s Department initially claimed that Ellis had attacked a police car and then attacked officers, leading to the arrest. State prosecutors quoted civilian witnesses as saying that Ellis did not attack the police car or officers; they also said it was the officers who initiated the use of physical force on Ellis after a conversation. Video of the incident showed officers repeatedly punching Ellis, choking him, using a Taser, and kneeling on him. State prosecutors stated that "Ellis was not fighting back", citing witness statements and video evidence. A police radio recording showed that Ellis said he "can’t breathe". Ellis told officers "can't breathe, sir" multiple times, according to prosecutors.Ellis was hogtied, face-down, with an officer on him, for at least six minutes, and a spit hood was placed on his head in this position, stated prosecutors.[10] Ellis died at the scene while receiving medical aid from paramedics. [MORE]

In early June 2020, Ellis's death was ruled by county medical examiner Thomas Clark as a homicide due to "hypoxia due to physical restraint", and with "contributing conditions of methamphetamine intoxication and a dilated heart".[2][11] Prosecutors, in May 2021 documents, quoted Clark as saying that additional evidence that emerged after the autopsy concluded indicated that "Ellis's death was not likely caused by methamphetamine intoxication", and further indicated that restraint caused the death.

After Ellis's death, four Tacoma police officers were placed on paid administrative leave; they returned to work two weeks later, with the Tacoma police department stating "there were no known departmental violations". [MORE]

Officer Timothy Rankine, who is Asian, faces a charge of first-degree manslaughter. He is accused of kneeling on Ellis’ back and shoulder as Ellis repeatedly told them he couldn’t breathe, according to a probable cause statement filed in Pierce County Superior Court. The officers involved have pleaded not guilty.

Two Pierce County Sheriff deputies also responded to the scene, including Deputy Gary Sanders, who grabbed Manuel Ellis’ leg and assisted in restraining him while Tacoma police handcuffed and hogtied him. The family’s lawsuit faulted the deputies for not helping Ellis despite clearly being in distress.

His final words — “I can’t breathe, sir!” — were captured by a home security camera, followed by an officer’s reply: “Shut the (expletive) up, man.”