"Acquitted Officer Resigns from Deputy Job After Controversial Hiring"
Former Tacoma police officer Christopher Burbank, who was acquitted in the 2020 death of Manuel Ellis, resigned from his new job as a sheriff's deputy in Thurston County just two days after being hired, following strong community objections and death threats to his family. Burbank and two other officers were cleared of criminal charges in Ellis' death, but the U.S. attorney's office in Seattle is still investigating potential federal civil rights violations. The hiring decision sparked widespread criticism, leading to Burbank's resignation and an apology from the Thurston County Sheriff for misjudging community perception. Ellis, an unarmed Black man, died after being shocked, beaten, and hog-tied facedown on a sidewalk by the officers, sparking outrage and legal action.