The lawyer for a Tacoma cop charged in the killing of Manuel Ellis called the officer 'superhuman' and a 'redeeming member' of the community

• Three Washington state police officers were charged with killing Manuel Ellis in 2020.
• The lawyer of Officer Timothy Rankine said he is "superhuman" and a "redeeming member of this community" during his arraignment.
• A Washington judge set each officer's bail at $100,000, less than the $1 million requested by prosecutors.

A defense attorney for one of the police officers accused of killing unarmed Black man Manuel Ellis in 2020 called the cop "superhuman" and a "redeeming member of this community" during an arraignment Friday.

While lawyers for all three police pushed for the officers to be released without bond, Rankine's attorney, Bryan Hershman, detailed his client's history, bringing a Purple Heart to court and saying Rankine was a credit to his community.

"I defy this bench or the state to find anybody who will say anything about this gentleman other than the fact that he's not just human, he's superhuman," Hershman said in court.

Officers Matthew Collins and Christopher Burbank were charged with second-degree murder in Ellis' death while officer Timothy Rankine was charged with first-degree manslaughter.

Video footage from the deadly confrontation in March 2020 showed officers striking Ellis while he was on the ground. State prosecutors accused Collins and Burbank of attacking Ellis without reason and accuse Rankine of kneeling on Ellis' back, cutting off his oxygen and leading to his death despite Ellis' pleas for air.

All three pleaded not guilty in court Thursday.

During his defense of Rankine, Hershman went into depth about Rankine's prior history. The lawyer asserted that a 13-year-old Rankine had announced he would join the Army after the September 11 attacks and claimed that as a high-schooler, Rankine lost one of his thumbs in a dumbbell accident while trying to protect a football coach.

Judge Michael Schwartz was unconvinced, setting bail for Rankine at $100,000 - the same as Collins and Burbank -at the arraignment hearing.

All three officers will have to hand over their passports and any firearms, cannot contact the victim's family, or leave the nearby area.