2 Tacoma Officers, Both Present For Ellis' Death, Return To Work

TACOMA, WA — Two Tacoma police officers will be returning to work after Tacoma Police's Interim Chief Mike Ake ruled they had been "exonerated of any policy violations" for their part in the death of Manuel Ellis.

Officers Armando Farinas and Masiyh Ford were both on scene March 3, 2020, when Manuel Ellis was killed by a group of Tacoma police officers as they attempted to restrain him. According to an investigation from the Washington Attorney General's Office Ellis, a Black Tacoma resident, had been walking to a 7-Eleven near his home for a late-night snack. During his return trip home at around 11:20 p.m., several officers confronted Ellis. According to the AGO review, officers escalated that confrontation to the point where Ellis was placed in a restraint, hit with a stun gun and struck in the head at least four times. Recordings reportedly show Ellis repeatedly telling the officers he cannot breathe before he died. The Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office would later rule his death a homicide due to hypoxia.

Three Tacoma Police officers, Christopher Burbank, Matthew Collins, and Timothy Rankine, are facing charges of either second-degree murder, or first degree manslaughter for their involvement in Ellis' killing. Though Farinas and Ford were on scene for portions of the incident, they are not facing charges, and, following Tuesday's announcement from Interim Chief Ake, will be resuming patrol duty sometime in the next few weeks.

Related: 3 Officers Charged In Killing Of Manuel Ellis

According to a news release from the Tacoma Police Department, Farinas and Ford were both cleared of any wrongdoing by an internal review, which included the results of investigations from the Pierce County Sheriff's Department, Washington State Patrol, and Attorney General's Office.

Farinas' involvement was limited to the restraint — a spit hood that Farinas placed over Ellis' head during the altercation. After placing the hood over Ellis' head, Farinas had no further contact with Ellis, investigators determined. Charging documents from the Attorney General's Office note that spit hoods are not supposed to be used on patients who are having difficulty breathing, and that it likely played a large part in his death, but Tacoma Police say Farinas correctly applied the hood, and that his actions were "reasonable and appropriate" given the circumstances.

Ford, meanwhile, was briefly investigated for use of force policy violations. According to investigators, Ford held Ellis' legs while he was restrained. According to Tacoma Police, however, Ford was also the only officer to continue to speak with Ellis during his crisis, telling him that medical aid was on his way. He was also reportedly the first to alert medical personnel that Ellis may be in medical crisis.

"The actions of Officer Ford were found to be reasonable and appropriate under the circumstances and not in violation of department policy," the department wrote.

Now that Interim Chief Ake has announced their return, Farinas and Ford will receive several weeks of additional training, beginning immediately, before returning to patrol.

At a conference Tuesday afternoon, the Ellis family expressed their disappointment with the news, calling it "heartbreaking". James Bible, an attorney representing the Ellis family, said he was not surprised, but disappointed that Tacoma police "would seek to absolve itself of any wrong." The Tacoma Action Collective, a prominent local activist organization, also called the reappointment "disappointing" and promised to continue to fight for justice for Ellis and his family.

"They're trying to gaslight us into believing that placing a spit hood on someone who can't breathe isn't against policy," the group wrote. "It's disappointing, but not surprising at all."

In a written statement, Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards — who previously called for all officers involved in Ellis' arrest to be fired — said she believed the investigation had been thorough and just, but also noted that she and Tacoma City Council were prohibited from interfering with the decision.

"These outcomes will no doubt be received with a wide range of deep emotions," Woodards said. "As our community reacts to this news, I remind you today that we are stronger together. That is true today, and it will be true in the case of future decisions related to the death of Manual Ellis."