Three police officers were found not guilty on charges related to the death of Manny Ellis, a Black man who died in custody.
A jury on Thursday found three Tacoma, Washington, police officers not guilty of all charges in the 2020 death of Manuel « Manny » Ellis, a Black man who died in their custody.
Reuters reported that the mixed reaction in the courtroom included « audible sighs of relief and sobbing, » while a livestream of the hearing « showed members of the Ellis family abruptly walking out of the courtroom. »
Seattle’s KOMO-TV, a station affiliated with ABC and The CW, reported that Ellis’ sister, Monét Carter-Mixon, joined protesters in the street who were yelling « no justice, no peace » over a microphone. The protest closed down an intersection in Tacoma that KOMO-TV reported was adjacent to a mural of Ellis.
The trial lasted for three months before Tacoma police officers Christopher Burbank, Matthew Collins and Timothy Rankine were found not guilty of all charges.