Cleveland Officer Who Fired 49 Shots at Unarmed Black Couple in 2012 Is Acquitted of Manslaughter
A Cleveland police officer who climbed onto the hood of a car and fired repeatedly at its unarmed occupants in 2012 was acquitted of manslaughter on Saturday by an Ohio judge.
The trial of the officer, Michael Brelo, played out amid broader questions about how the police interact with African-Americans and use force, in Cleveland and across the country.
Officer Brelo was one of several officers who shot at Timothy Russell and his passenger, Malissa Williams, during a chase through the Cleveland area on Nov. 29, 2012. Police officers fired 137 rounds at the car, prosecutors have said, including 49 by Officer Brelo.
Other officers stopped firing after Mr. Russell’s Chevy Malibu was surrounded by the police and came to a stop, but prosecutors said Officer Brelo climbed onto the car’s hood and fired at least 15 rounds from close range, including the fatal shots.
Mr. Russell and Ms. Williams, who were black, died of their wounds. Officer Brelo, 31, is white. Prosecutors said Officer Brelo’s actions crossed the line from justifiable to reckless when he climbed onto the car’s hood.
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http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/24/us/michael-brelo-cleveland-police-officer-acquitted-of-manslaughter-in-2012-deaths.html?emc=edit_na_20150523
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