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.
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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.
