Overview

• Christopher Burbank, one of the three Tacoma police officers acquitted in the 2020 death of Manuel Ellis, has been hired by the Thurston County Sheriff's Office.
• The Pierce County jury cleared Burbank and two other officers of criminal charges last December, following Ellis's death which was ruled a homicide by the medical examiner.
• Ellis's death, caused by a lack of oxygen during restraint, sparked an outcry nearly three months before George Floyd’s murder highlighted police brutality.
• The Ellis family settled a federal wrongful death lawsuit against Pierce County for $4 million, while a wrongful death lawsuit is still pending against the city.
• The U.S. attorney’s office in Seattle is reviewing the case for potential federal civil rights violations.