Officer acquitted in 2020 death of Manuel Ellis in Tacoma is hired by neighboring sheriff’s office

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — One of the three Tacoma police officers cleared of criminal charges in the 2020 death of a Black man has been hired by a neighboring sheriff’s office. Manuel Ellis was shocked, beaten and restrained facedown on a sidewalk as he pleaded for breath. The Thurston County Sheriff’s Office announced on its Facebook page Monday that it had hired former Tacoma officer Christopher Burbank as a patrol deputy. Burbank and two other officers — Timothy Rankine and Matthew Collins — were cleared of criminal charges by a Pierce County jury last December. They were each paid $500,000 to resign from the department. A Justice Department review of the case continues.