Six of 13 Officers Fired After Shooting 137 Bullets at Two Unarmed Blacks
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Published February 1, 2016

By Kaitlyn D’Onofrio
Michael Brelo, the only officer who faced charges in the 2012 shootings.

Michael Brelo, the only officer who faced charges in the 2012 shootings.

Six police officers in Cleveland have been fired in connection with the 2012 deadly shooting of Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams, two unarmed Black people. One of the officers fired is Michael Brelo, who in 2014 was charged with manslaughter for his involvement with the shooting.

Related Story: Cleveland Makes a Deal with DOJ as City Erupts in Protests Over Officer’s Acquittal

On Nov. 29, 2012, an officer attempted to pull over the vehicle Russell was driving; when Russell did not comply, a police chase began. During the chase, officers heard what they believed to be gunshots — but a subsequent search of Russell’s car did not turn up a firearm, and the sound was later believed to be Russell’s car backfiring. The chase ended in a school parking lot, where officers claimed they believed they saw a firearm in Russell’s car. Officers opened fire and, as they shot, thought some of the fire was coming from Russell’s car rather than from other officers.

Brelo jumped on the hood of the car and fired directly at the victims through the windshield — even after the other officers had stopped firing. Brelo alone fired 49 of the 137 shots. Both victims were struck by at least 23 bullets.

[link to www.diversityinc.com]