Cleveland has fired six police officers involved in a 2012 car chase that ended in the death of two people, according to The Huffington Post.
The officers have been fired in relation to the November 2012 incident which killed Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams in a hail of 137 bullets. After a high-speed chase, officers fired more than 100 shots into Russell and Williams' car, hitting each victim more than 20 times. Once the car had stopped, Patrolman Michael Brelo allegedly climbed onto the hood of the car and fired another 15 shots down through the windshield. An investigation eventually proved that Russell and Williams were unarmed.
Brelo, the only officer who faced criminal charges in the incident, was found not guilty of voluntary manslaughter and assault in May of last year, when a judge ruled that Brelo reasonably believed himself to be in danger, according to CNN. The ruling prompted protests and demonstrations; it came in close conjunction with the six-month anniversary of the death of Tamir Rice, the 12-year-old boy shot by Cleveland police in November 2014.
A total of 13 officers will face discipline for the incident. Besides the six officers terminated, an additional six officers will face multi-day suspensions, and one officer has retired. The officers were reprimanded for leaving the city without permission and for creating a dangerous cross-fire situation that endangered citizens.
Cleveland authorities have not yet released the names of the officers who have been terminated or those who will be suspended.
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