As if this case couldn’t get anymore frustrating, the three Washington state cops who were just acquitted in the killing of Manuel Ellis are also set to receive a hefty bag in exchange for their resignation from the department.
Tacoma police officers Christopher Bank, Matthew Collins and Timothy Rankine went to trial on charges in connection to the killing of Manuel Ellis in 2020. Prosecutors say the cops were sitting at a red light when they exited their patrol cars and ambushed Ellis as he was walking home from 7-Eleven. The cops allegedly punched Ellis repeatedly, tackled him to the ground, put him in a chokehold, and stung him with a Taser three times. After pinning him to the ground, Ellis began screaming, “I can’t breathe,” according to a recording from a front door camera nearby, per The New York Times.
He was restrained for over five minutes. He was pronounced dead on the scene.
His death was declared a homicide by the Pierce County medical examiner. Bank and Collins face second-degree murder charges in connection to the incident and Rankine was charged with first-degree manslaughter. Last month, just before Christmas, a jury found the three not guilty of their charges.
Now, the officers are not only home free but also receiving a fat check upon their resignation from the police department.
Read more from CBS News:
Three Washington state police officers who were cleared of criminal charges in the 2020 death of Manuel Ellis — a Black man who was shocked, beaten and restrained facedown on a sidewalk as he pleaded for breath — will each receive $500,000 to leave the Tacoma Police Department, according to documents released Tuesday.
The city released copies of the “voluntary separation” agreements with the officers Tuesday as police Chief Avery Moore announced findings that none violated the use-of-force policy in effect on March 3, 2020. Collins was found to have violated a policy concerning courtesy.
Ellis’ family attorney Matthew Ericksen argued that the payment was basically a reward for Ellis’ death—a the cherry on top of the $1 million they received while on paid leave during the years-long investigation.
“The worst TPD officers are also the highest paid TPD officers!” Ericksen said to CBS in an email. “Everyone in the community should be upset by this.”
Well, they’re technically not all the way cleared. Their resignation comes after the Western Washington’s U.S. Attorney’s office opened an independent review of the case to determine whether the trio should face federal charges, per KIRO7. That investigation is still pending.