Officers acquitted in death of Manuel Ellis, bringing scrutiny to police accountability law

Three officers were first to be tried under five-year-old Washington law, which removes need to prove officer acted with actual malice

A Washington state law aimed at improving police accountability is under scrutiny after three Tacoma officers were acquitted in the 2020 death of Manuel Ellis, a Black man who was shocked, beaten and restrained facedown on a sidewalk as he pleaded for breath.

The measure approved by voters in 2018 was designed to make it easier to prosecute police accused of wrongfully using deadly force. Initiative 940, referred to as I-940, removed a requirement that prosecutors prove an officer acted with actual malice in order to bring a case - a requirement no other state had - and established that an independent investigation should be conducted after use of force results in death or great bodily harm, among other things.