justice4mikebrown: May 23CLEVELAND OFFICER MICHAEL BRELO HAS JUST BEEN ACQUITTED OF MANSLAUGHTER IN
justice4mikebrown: May 23CLEVELAND OFFICER MICHAEL BRELO HAS JUST BEEN ACQUITTED OF MANSLAUGHTER IN THE MURDERS OF TIMOTHY RUSSELL AND MALISSA WILLIAMS.Officer Michael Brelo was one of 13 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.Officer Brelo climbed onto the car’s hood and fired at least 15 rounds from close range, including the fatal shots.Officer Brelo opted for a bench trial before Judge John P. O’Donnell of the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court. Defense attorneys said their client had feared for his life and believed gunfire was coming from Mr. Russell’s car. No gun was recovered.Malissa Williams and Timothy Russell were unarmed.The DOJ has announced that they will review the Brelo case.You can read the full text of the #BreloVerdict here.Here’s everything you need to know about the murders of Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams. “While Officer Brelo did fire lethal shots at the two people, testimony did not prove that his shots caused either death […]” It must be BEYOND a reasonable doubt that the person caused the death of the Russel and/or Williams. Otherwise he is INNOCENT until PROVEN GUILTY.“What led to the deaths of Russell and Williams, prosecutors said, was a chase that began when a car driven by Russell backfired – a noise that officers mistakenly thought was caused by gunshots” These people were in a heavily populated area, and if it HAD been a gunshot, these people would have caused serious danger to people around them. It was the police officer’s JOB to neutralize a threat, and that was what they did.“It turned out that neither Russell, 43, nor Williams, 30, were armed, but Russell led numerous police officers on a 22-mile chase – sometimes at speeds above 100 mph – before ramming a police car in a middle school parking lot in East Cleveland” Russell fled – a crime – and went to speeds over 100 mph. This is causing danger to those around them, and obviously makes them appear guilty. Not only that, but the chase ended in the parking lot of a middle school, meaning that they were also endangering countless children (with this happening on a Thursday).In fact, it it clearly spelled out in this article why they could not find him guilty.“• The officers’ first round of gunfire was permissible because they had reason to believe they and the public were at risk, in part because other officers told them the pair had weapons, that one of them had fired, because Russell led them on a chase for so long, and because of the ramming.• Brelo’s second round was permissible because a reasonable police officer could decide that, even after the 100 shots, the threat might not have been over in part because the pair might still have been moving.• Evidence shows Brelo’s gunfire caused at least one wound each to Russell and Williams that would have killed either of them. But they suffered other lethal wounds, probably from other officers’ guns.• Since evidence doesn’t prove Brelo’s shots were the ones that killed the pair, he can’t be found guilty of voluntary manslaughter.• Brelo also is not guilty of a lesser possible charge, felonious assault, because it wasn’t necessarily clear the threat was over.”Also, before you say that this is has resulted in no consequences, “The police department fired one supervisor, demoted two and suspended 72 officers in 2013 after a review panel determined they violated policies in connection with the 2012 chase and shooting.”Also, “Brelo will remain on unpaid suspension until a review committee completes its investigation of him and the other 12.” Brelo has been on unpaid suspension, and the other officers are being investigated. source: Cleveland officer not guilty in killing unarmed pair -- source link
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