WSP's update is also noteworthy because it is exactly what the Pierce County Sheriff's Department failed to do: initially, Pierce County deputies had been called in to investigate Ellis' death, but months into their investigation the state discovered that Pierce County
deputies had not appointed community members to be a part of the review process and had failed to set up a liaison with Ellis' immediate family as required by law. Additionally, it was discovered that Pierce County deputy was on scene when Ellis was killed, meaning their investigation had not been truly independent and calling the objectivity of their work into question.
After all that information came to light, Tacoma leaders called on Gov. Inslee to hand the investigation to another law enforcement agency which he did,
asking Washington State Patrol to take over and finish what the Pierce County Sheriff's Department could not. The revelation that Pierce County deputies had failed to uphold the legal standards of I-940 also led the state Attorney General Bob Ferguson to launch a new probe into
every single investigation into the use of deadly force by law enforcement in 2020.
Now that WSP has begun their investigation into Ellis death, they say the next step is to "develop and follow an investigative plan that will ensure all the facts of the case are gathered systematically and thoroughly." Troopers say going forward they will begin providing weekly updates on their investigation to the public on their website. Once it is finished, the investigation will be submitted to the Attorney General for the final review.
Meanwhile, the four Tacoma Police officers on scene at the time of Ellis' death, 34-year-old Christopher Burbank, 37-year-old Matthew Collins, 28-year-old Masyih Ford, and 31-year-old Timothy Rankine, have all been placed on leave pending the investigation.
WSP Releases Update Into Manuel Ellis Death Investigation
How many more???
