A friend of Manny Ellis and a breathing expert expected to testify in trial against Tacoma officers

By MARTHA BELLISLE
Associated Press

TACOMA, Wash. (AP) — Five weeks into the trial against three Tacoma, Washington, police officers charged in the 2020 death of Manny Ellis and prosecutors are building their case by questioning one of the man’s lifelong friends and a breathing expert. On Monday, the man who ran the sober-living home where Ellis lived said Ellis was happy earlier on the night he died. Also Monday, a lieutenant with the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office acknowledged that his agency failed to find or collect witness cellphone videos before ending their investigation into Ellis’ death. The videos and witness statements are critical pieces of evidence in the case.