Verdict Reached in Trial of Cleveland Police Officer Accused in 2012 Shooting Deaths

[Jazzy]

A judge today reached a not guilty verdict in the trial of a Cleveland police officer charged with the deaths of two unarmed people in 2012, an incident that involved a high-speed chase and a hail of bullets.

Michael Brelo was one of 13 officers who fired a total of 137 shots into the car, but he is the only one charged because prosecutors say he reloaded during the gunfire and they think it was his shots that killed the couple. Prosecutors say he intended to kill them even though their car had stopped.

The 22-mile, high-speed police chase through Cleveland involved more than 100 police officers.

Brelo, 31, was charged with voluntary manslaughter for the shooting deaths of Timothy Russell, 43, and Malissa Williams, 30. He pleaded not guilty and faced up to 25 years in prison if convicted.

Authorities say Brelo got on top of the hood of the victims’ Chevy Malibu and fired 15 times through the windshield. In an interview with investigators, Brelo said he thought the couple was shooting back.

“I thought my partner and I were being shot and that we were going to be killed … at which point, I drew my weapon and I shot through the windshield,” Brelo said in an interview with the OhioBureau of Criminal Investigation.

A subsequent investigation by the agency could not find any guns the victims may have had.

Attorneys for Brelo argued that other officers fired during the final barrage of bullets and prosecutors couldn't prove when the fatal shots were fired.

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