Pierce County OKs $4M settlement over Manuel Ellis death

TACOMA, Wash. (AP) — The Pierce County Council has approved a settlement that will pay $4 million to the family of Manuel Ellis, a Black man killed by police two years ago as he pleaded for breath. The deal ends the county’s involvement in the case, though Ellis’ sister, Monet Carter-Mixon, and mother, Marcia Carter, continue to pursue their wrongful death lawsuit against Tacoma, whose officers were more involved in Ellis’ detention — some of whom have been charged criminally. Ellis, 33, died March 3, 2020, just weeks before George Floyd’s death triggered a nationwide reckoning on race and policing. The death made Ellis’ name synonymous with pleas for justice at protests in the Northwest.