On Monday, Matthew Collins, one of three Tacoma police officers charged in the death of Manuel Ellis, described Ellis’ death as a tragedy, but also said there’s nothing he believes he could have done differently. Ellis, a 33-year-old Black man, died in Tacoma police custody after a confrontation with officers. Collins and his partner, Christopher Burbank, are charged with second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter. Officer Timothy Rankine, who provided backup, is charged with first-degree manslaughter. Collins appeared on the stand during the morning court session to testify in his own defense. Collins joined the Tacoma Police Department in 2015 after a stint in the army. The line of questioning touched on his decades of experience with hand-to-hand combat, including as a defense tactics instructor for other police officers. Read more: https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/death-of-manuel-ellis/tacoma-officer-charged-manuel-ellis-death-witness-stand/281-e4b2694c-3e38-4ae4-a95f-83d914e81ee2