TACOMA, Wash. – Following the mishandled investigation into the death of Manuel Ellis while in Tacoma police custody, Attorney General Bob Ferguson says his office will review at least 30 investigations of police use of deadly force.
Each incident was supposed to be investigated “independently, free of conflicts of interest and unnecessary secrecy about officers’ actions” under a new state law.
Ellis died March 3 after Tacoma police responded to a report that he was bothering drivers.
Governor Inslee handed the investigation over to the State Patrol after the Pierce County Sheriffs Department had a conflict of interest.