Internal investigations of three Tacoma police officers in the death of Manuel Ellis will be concluded in 24 hours, and Police Chief Avery Moore will make a decision on discipline within 14 days, City Manager Elizabeth Pauli said Thursday night at a news conference.
The investigations will determine if the officers violated police department policy on the night Ellis died.
Officers Matthew Collins, Christopher Burbank and Timothy Rankine have been on paid administrative leave since being charged with Ellis’ March 3, 2020, death.
A Pierce County jury acquitted the officers of murder and manslaughter charges Thursday following a 10-week trial.
“I am committed to accountability,” said Pauli, who supervises all city employees, including Moore.
Neither Pauli nor Mayor Victoria Woodards, who also spoke at the news conference, took questions from reporters. Moore offered no comments.
Woodards called Thursday “a heavy day” for all of Tacoma and expressed condolences to Ellis’ family for their “immeasurable pain and loss.”
“My heart breaks for you,” she said. “We have seen the love and resilience and fortitude that you have brought to bear in pursuit of justice, for your son and your brother, Manuel Ellis.”
Woodards also voiced her support for the Tacoma Police Department and the officers who show up daily to serve the city.
“The entire Tacoma Police Department was not on trial,” she said.
Woodards did say work remained to rebuild trust between the city and the people it serves and that it’s “critical to come together and foster dialogue” in that regard.
“The verdict today does not lessen our commitment to ensure that the city’s power is used to protect and serve, and that the essential services provided by all city employees are delivered equitably and fairly,” she said.
The mayor also mentioned her June 2020 call for the firing of the officers involved in Ellis’ death.
“My heart was breaking at that moment,” she said Thursday before asking the city to let the administrative process play out.
Pauli said she stands with the mayor and the City Council in their concern for accountability. She also said she stands with the Tacoma Police Department and its officers who serve the community and “who share this commitment to accountability.”
Woodards ended the press conference by saying she knows the public has a lot of questions. She also said she acknowledges that Thursday had been a heavy day for everyone in Tacoma, including for “all of us standing here.”
