TACOMA, Wash. — Court was canceled Tuesday in the trial for the death of Manuel Ellis.
A spokesperson said a member of the trial who is not a member of the jury is sick, which is the reason for the cancellation. Court is expected to resume tomorrow.
Proceedings will restart on Wednesday morning with the continued cross-examination of a use of force expert, Renton Police Department Training Sergeant Chris Nielsen.
Three Tacoma police officers face charges in the death of Manuel Ellis, a 33-year-old Black man who died in police custody in March 2020.
Officers Christopher Burbank and Matthew Collins are charged with second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter. Officer Timothy Rankine is charged with first-degree manslaughter.
Officers on trial for the death of Manuel Ellis could appear on the witness stand this week
The officers on trial for Manuel Ellis' death could appear on the witness stand as soon as this week.
In court Monday morning, defense attorneys said they have one more expert they plan to call for sure, then said they would request a recess to consider other witnesses. If they decide not to call anyone else, they will move on to calling the officers to the witness stand. After that, the defense will rest their case.
The state played recordings of the officers' statements earlier in the trial and another officer who responded to the scene with Rankine, Masyih Ford, has already appeared on the witness stand to give his version of events. The officers allege that Ellis was aggressive and could not be subdued, prompting them to handcuff and hobble Ellis, with multiple officers pressing him to the ground with their body weight.
The Pierce County medical examiner determined that the constellation of restraint methods used against Ellis resulted in his death.
The jury will measure the officers' statements against those of eyewitnesses who say there was seemingly no reason for Burbank and Collins to instigate the confrontation with Ellis. Sara McDowell and Seth Cowden, two people who took video of the fight between the officers and Ellis, said Ellis was calmly walking down the street before he was beckoned to the passenger side of the patrol car on the night he died.
The trial is expected to last between eight and 12 weeks. Jury deliberations are anticipated to begin Dec. 4.
Background on the case
On March 3, 2020, Ellis was walking home when he stopped to speak with Tacoma Police Officers Burbank and Collins, who were in their patrol car, according to probable cause documents.
Witnesses said Ellis turned to walk away, but the officers got out of their car and knocked Ellis to his knees. All witnesses told investigators they did not see Ellis strike the officers.
Other responding officers told investigators that Burbank and Collins reported Ellis was “goin’ after a car” in the intersection and punched the patrol car's windows.
Witness video shows officers repeatedly hitting Ellis. Collins put Ellis into a neck restraint, and Burbank tasered Ellis’ chest, according to prosecutors.
Home security camera footage captured Ellis saying, “Can’t breathe, sir. Can’t breathe."
Rankine, who was the first backup officer to arrive, applied pressure to Ellis' back and held him in place while Ellis was "hogtied" with a hobble, according to documents.
When the fire department arrived, Ellis was “unconscious and unresponsive,” according to documents.
The Pierce County Medical Examiner ruled Ellis' death a homicide. According to the autopsy report, Ellis also had a fatal amount of methamphetamine in his system.
KING 5 will stream gavel-to-gavel coverage of the trial from opening to closing statements. Follow live coverage and watch videos on demand on king5.com, KING 5+ and the KING 5 YouTube channel.