Cleveland Officer Not Guilty In Fatal Shooting Of Unarmed Suspects

[GMDino]

High speed chase...lots of gun fire. I guess I get that.

Except for one, small detail...

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/05/23/409003419/cleveland-officer-not-guilty-in-fatal-shooting-of-unarmed-suspects?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20150523

Quote:A judge handed down a verdict of not guilty on two counts of voluntary manslaughter against a Cleveland officer charged in the 2012 deaths of Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams — unarmed suspects who were caught in a 137-shot hail of police gunfire following a high-speed chase.

Citing testimony from a doctors for the prosecution and defense, Judge John P. O'Donnell said although he believed that Officer Michael Brelo had delivered a fatal shot to both Russell and Williams, it was impossible to determine beyond a reasonable doubt that either suspect would have survived if not for Brelo's shots.

He also determined that Brelo's use of force was constitutionally reasonable given that he and other officers perceived that Russell and Williams posed a threat.

"It is Brelo's perception of a threat that matters," O'Donnell said.

Brelo listened to the lengthy verdict without visible emotion, although he held his head in his hand as the actual verdict neared.

Before announcing the verdict, O'Donnell said that anger with the police "will not be expiated by a verdict in a single criminal case." He assured the court that "Brelo's badge" would not bear on the decision.

Although 13 officers discharged their weapons during the incident, only Brelo, 31 was charged with voluntary manslaughter because "prosecutors said he waited until the car had stopped and the occupants were no longer a threat to fire 15 rounds down into the windshield while standing on its hood."

In total, Brelo fired 49 of the 137 shots, prosecutors said. Russell was hit 23 times; Williams was shot 24 times.

"Timothy Russell made some bad decisions that night, but it should not be a death sentence," assistant county prosecutor Sherrie Royster told the judge earlier, arguing that Brelo acted unreasonably.

In December, the U.S. Department of Justice concluded that the Brelo and the other officers had "found a pattern of excessive force by Cleveland police. The 18-month federal civil rights investigation also found police supervisors failed to document and investigate claims of brutality," according to NPR's Carrie Johnson.

The Associated Press notes that during the trial Brelo's attorneys "argued and testimony showed that other officers fired during the final barrage and that prosecutors couldn't prove in what order the fatal shots were fired."

That seems a legitimate reason to charge him...I guess I'll by the "we can't be sure he killed them" reasoning.

But if he remains on the force after that kind of decision making its a damn shame.

[TSwigZ]

I live in Cleveland hopefully this doesn't get out of hand in getting tired of this shit

[Steeler Eater]

Not guilty.

[NATI BENGALS]

This whole issue is really eating me up. To the best of my ability I have treated everyone in my life equally no matter what their race.

Why the hell are all the "victims" who are being turned into martyrs by the black community doing something stupid? These mofos were smoking crack and fleeing from the police.

Every police officer is not the embodiment of Jesus who knows all and can do no harm. Our police force is a group of regular ass people who signed up with good intentions and get slapped with reality. When your job involves controlling violent and unpredictable human beings sometimes things get ugly. Driving around past police headquarters in a hoopty that backfires and sounds like gunshots popping off while smoking crack and then fleeing from police when they pursue is a bad ***** idea.

Add another one to the list of things to do if you want to get shot by a cop...

Ignorance can kill you in many ways. This cop wasn't pulling the trigger because the color of someone's skin.

[magikod]

Just wait til the Tamir Rice verdict comes out...lol.

But that cop got away with murder..

[Sociopathicsteelerfan]

(05-24-2015, 04:12 AM)NATI BENGALS Wrote: This whole issue is really eating me up. To the best of my ability I have treated everyone in my life equally no matter what their race.

Why the hell are all the "victims" who are being turned into martyrs by the black community doing something stupid? These mofos were smoking crack and fleeing from the police.

Every police officer is not the embodiment of Jesus who knows all and can do no harm. Our police force is a group of regular ass people who signed up with good intentions and get slapped with reality. When your job involves controlling violent and unpredictable human beings sometimes things get ugly. Driving around past police headquarters in a hoopty that backfires and sounds like gunshots popping off while smoking crack and then fleeing from police when they pursue is a bad ***** idea.

Add another one to the list of things to do if you want to get shot by a cop...

Ignorance can kill you in many ways. This cop wasn't pulling the trigger because the color of someone's skin.

They also rammed police cruisers twice and we're apparently attempting to do so again when the shooting started. As far as the number of rounds expended, and I've mentioned this before, anyone in the military can tell you that once one person starts firing the whole platoon starts firing even if they have no idea what they're shooting at. It looks bad, I'm aware of this, but it's not really as egregious as it appears. All those rounds were probably fired in under ten seconds, probably less.

(05-24-2015, 06:24 AM)magikod Wrote: Just wait til the Tamir Rice verdict comes out...lol.

But that cop got away with murder..

I think the defense's argument, which succeeded, is that the suspects were already dead when he jumped on the hood and fired the last fifteen rounds. You can't kill a corpse and the prosecution couldn't prove beyond a reasonable doubt that this wasn't the case. To me it appears this guy was trying to play the hero for his buddies. IMO he wanted that to be a story that got told for the rest of his career. Moronic and stupid and wanna be bad ass.

[GMDino]

(05-24-2015, 12:52 PM)Sociopathicsteelerfan Wrote: They also rammed police cruisers twice and we're apparently attempting to do so again when the shooting started.  As far as the number of rounds expended, and I've mentioned this before, anyone in the military can tell you that once one person starts firing the whole platoon starts firing even if they have no idea what they're shooting at.  It looks bad, I'm aware of this, but it's not really as egregious as it appears.  All those rounds were probably fired in under ten seconds, probably less.



I think the defense's argument, which succeeded, is that the suspects were already dead when he jumped on the hood and fired the last fifteen rounds.  You can't kill a corpse and the prosecution couldn't prove beyond a reasonable doubt that this wasn't the case.  To me it appears this guy was trying to play the hero for his buddies.  IMO he wanted that to be a story that got told for the rest of his career.  Moronic and stupid and wanna be bad ass.

I'm not disputing the total rounds fired or the "pack mentality" that may cause it.

But the "officer" stood on the hood and fired 15 rounds into the windshield. If he felt the people in the car were THAT much of a threat he sure put himself in a vulnerable position just to finish them off.

And lets face it he was attempting to kill them at that point...not bring them in or protect himself and his fellow officers.

None of that makes what the two people in the car did right...but it seems like this officer has poor decision making skills.

[Sociopathicsteelerfan]

(05-24-2015, 01:27 PM)GMDino Wrote: I'm not disputing the total rounds fired or the "pack mentality" that may cause it.

But the "officer" stood on the hood and fired 15 rounds into the windshield.  If he felt the people in the car were THAT much of a threat he sure put himself in a vulnerable position just to finish them off.

And lets face it he was attempting to kill them at that point...not bring them in or protect himself and his fellow officers.

None of that makes what the two people in the car did right...but it seems like this officer has poor decision making skills.

I pretty much said this towards the end of my post. Guy was trying to play the hero and pump himself up in front of his peers. Moronic and stupid.

[GMDino]

(05-24-2015, 01:50 PM)Sociopathicsteelerfan Wrote: I pretty much said this towards the end of my post.  Guy was trying to play the hero and pump himself up in front of his peers.  Moronic and stupid.

Yes, and I agree. Just wanted to clarify that I agreed on that point.

[*bfine32*]

(05-24-2015, 12:52 PM)Sociopathicsteelerfan Wrote: I've mentioned this before, anyone in the military can tell you that once one person starts firing the whole platoon starts firing even if they have no idea what they're shooting at.  

This may happen on TV or (in rare cases) in poorly trained organizations; however, in principle, positive target identification and ammunition conservation are stressed. This is especially true in an environment, in which, collateral damage is a possibility. I can tell you: you damn sure better know what you're firing at.

I always (almost) side with the LEOs in situations such as these, but IMO the officer in question here needs to never wear a badge again.

[*michaelsean*]

Yeah the verdict may be right, but he never needs to spend another day with a badge.