Six more officers who fired during the barrage face suspensions ranging from 21 to 30 days, said Public Safety Director Michael McGrath, the former police chief. A total of 13 officers had been notified that they faced administrative discipline, and one of them has retired, McGrath said.
The officers fired at a car after a high-speed chase that involved 62 police cruisers and more than 100 officers. It began when officers standing outside police headquarters mistook the sound of a beat-up Chevrolet Malibu backfiring as a gunshot.
The occupants of the car were killed. Timothy Russell was hit by 24 shots, Malissa Williams by 23.
Of the officers who fired, only Brelo faced criminal charges. Prosecutors said he stood on the vehicle’s hood and fired inside repeatedly after the car had stopped and its occupants were no longer a threat.
Defense attorneys said the officers involved in the chase and shooting had probable cause to believe the people in the car were a safety threat. Investigators later concluded Russell and Williams weren’t armed.
The shooting preceded a monthslong U.S. Department of Justice investigation that concluded Cleveland police engaged in a pattern and practice of using excessive force and violating people’s civil rights. The city negotiated an agreement to make changes overseen by an independent monitor.