By Joanna Putman
Police1
OLYMPIA, Wash. — A former Tacoma Police Department officer who was cleared of second degree murder charges in the 2020 death of Manny Ellis has resigned as a Thurston County Deputy two days into the job, KOMO news reported.
The TCSO announced the decision to hire Christopher Burbank in a Facebook post on April 1. The post received more than 300 comments and 600 impressions, most from community members condemning the decision, according to the report.
Burbank came to the decision to resign after a discussion with Sheriff Derek Sanders about the “impact of his employment. His decision was based on the negative community response and death threats made against his family, according to the report.
Sheriff Sanders made another Facebook post Apr. 3 informing the public of Burbank’s resignation and apologizing for “letting you down.”
“Trust is gained in drops and lost in buckets,” Sanders wrote. “For those who have lost confidence in me, or what we’re trying to accomplish at TCSO, I apologize for letting you down. I recognize that there are spaces I may no longer be welcome in, and this is a challenging reality for me to accept. I intend to schedule a time for public forum where community members can express their concerns directly to me. I will continue to learn and improve.”