In photo, racist suspect Jeffery Follmer, Cleveland police union president, speaks to media at the CPPA hall, in response to the police chase and shooting that killed 2 Black people, Saturday, December 1, 2012. [MORE] From [HERE] and [HERE] One mysterious gunshot adds up to more than 137 bullets fired and two Black people dead. Dash camera video released to shows East Cleveland Police fired on the suspects for longer than 20 seconds.
The Black people killed by the police are Timothy Ray Russell, 43, of Maple Heights, who was driving, and Malissa Williams, 30, who was the passenger. Russell's family members held a news conference this afternoon and called for a federal investigation into the shooting.
Russell and Willims were killed after they led the police on a chase that began about 10:30 p.m. on Thursday outside the Justice Center. A police official said two Cleveland officers heard a gunshot and believed it came from a 1979 Chevrolet Malibu that Russell owned. David Russell Jr. said he gave the car involved in the chase to his brother, and that it had a bad muffler - which could account for the sound. Then the car sped away and the officers chased them.
Officers from Bratenahl, East Cleveland, the State Highway Patrol and the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Office joined in the pursuit. It ended on a dead-end access street in East Cleveland, near Heritage Middle School, where police claim Russell “violently rammed a police car and almost struck an officer,” Follmer said.
The chase continued for 25 minutes, reaching speeds of 120 miles-per-hour, before ending in the parking lot of Heritage Middle School. Russell ended up on a dead-end access road to an East Cleveland middle school. There approximately 25 polcie officers converged on the Black man's car. They surrounded the Malibu, and some officers were out of their cars when Russell rammed another police car, Gardner said. Officers then unloaded on the car firing at least 137 shots in about 20 seconds.
In photo, mostly white Cleveland police officers listen to their union president Jeffery Follmer speak to media at the CPPA hall on December 1, 2012. [MORE]
During the chase on the highway, an officer reported also seeing something in the passenger’s hands, Gardner said. (what amazing eyesight to see objects through car doors at 100 mph!) No weapon was found in the vehicle. No shell casings were found in the car, and police did not find a gun or bullet or shell casings near the Justice Center. Investigators are, however, searching (planting evidence) the chase route to see if they can locate any evidence that may have been thrown from the vehicle.
The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office is running gunshot-residue tests on Russell’s and Williams’ hands to determine if either fired a gun. The results should be in before week’s end. No gun was found in Russell’s car or along the chase route. No bullet or casing was found outside the Justice Center.
Pathologists at the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office removed 20 rounds from Russell’s body and 16 from Williams’ body. They both had additional wounds from bullets that entered and exited their bodies — Russell had 30 wounds, Williams had 20, an investigator said.
Chief McGrath after the incident questioned why it happened and vowed to find answers. “Why did we get involved in a chase for over 20 minutes? Why did we have 13 officers involved, shooting their weapons, firing 137 rounds? Those questions, why, why, why have been floating through my head all last night, all today and I don’t have answers for you right now,” said McGrath. He repeated those thoughts again on Monday, saying that the investigation was “very, very sensitive” in nature, and that the important questions had to be answered.
In the news conference, Follmer described it more forcefully. Russell “violently rammed a police car and almost struck an officer,” he said.
East Cleveland police were expecting to release their tapes today of police radio communications during the chase and shooting.
East Cleveland Sgt. Scott Gardner said the Cleveland officers have been on paid leave the last three days.
“It’s standard procedure based on psychiatric research that shows it is best to wait 72 hours before interviewing officers involved in shootings,” Gardner said. The time off is meant to allow the officers to reflect on the traumatic experience before being questioned, he said.
Just before 5 p.m. Monday, the name of the officers involved and the audio tapes were released.
The officers joined the department between 1996 to 2011. There is one female officer and the rest are men.
Five detectives were also involved. Their appointment dates range from 1982 to 1999. One of the detectives was a woman, the other four were men.
They are:
- Patrol Officer Wilfredo Diaz #350 Appointment Date: 11-03-08
- Patrol Officer Michael Brelo #416 Appointment Date: 10-15-07
- Patrol Officer Cynthia Moore #1277 Appointment Date: 10-15-07
- Patrol Officer Michael Farley #409 Appointment Date: 04-08-96
- Patrol Officer Brian Sabolik #1021 Appointment Date: 01-10-11
- Patrol Officer Paul Box #2526 Appointment Date: 08-19-96
- Patrol Officer Randy Patrick #1580 Appointment Date: 08-04-97
- Patrol Officer Scott Sistek #1395 Appointment Date: 02-25-08
- Detective Michael Demchak #1621 Appointment Date: 10-23-82
- Detective Erin O'Donnell #1027 Appointment Date: 09-28-98
- Detective Christopher Ereg #767 Appointment Date: 08-30-99
- Detective Michael Rinkus #2182 Appointment Date: 01-06-92
- Detective William Salupo #1969 Appointment Date: 02-17-98
According to their records, court records and other published reports:
- Patrol Officer Michael Brelo was involved in an incident on July 9, 2011, where a juvenile suspect attempted to drive away while Brelo was reaching for the keys in the ignition, police records show. The vehicle's door struck Brelo and his partner, Liz Galarza, as it backed up at a high rate of speed. Galarza then fired her weapon one time -- the bullet struck the passenger compartment. After the vehicle crashed into an oncoming police car, Brelo arrested the suspect.
- Police Officer Michael Rinkus was one of nine officers involved in a shooting on Sept. 7, 2011, police records show. The police call began when a suspect shot his girlfriend in front of their child. Rinkus was of the officers who responded. They found the suspect on the front porch. The suspect ignored calls to drop his weapon and ran. Police chased him. On three occasions, the suspect placed a gun to his head and told officers to shoot him. After the third time, the suspect pointed the gun at officers, who returned fire. Rinkus fired 8 rounds. There were 23 shots in all.
- Detective Michael Demchak and Detective Erin O'Donnell were named in a 2009 lawsuit that was filed by a state corrections officer alleging excessive force, court records show. The lawsuit alleges the following: The incident occurred in 2009 when Corrections Officers Martin Robinson and Jennifer Jones were working at the Northeast Pre-Release Center in Cleveland. The Corrections Officers, wearing state issued uniforms, were on the perimeter when two plainclothes Cleveland Police officers approached them to see what they were doing. It was dark outside. The Cleveland officers pulled their weapons. Demchak and O'Donnell arrived soon after and got out of their police car. All four officers then tackled Robinson and placed him under arrest. Robinson's head bounced off the ground several times during the altercation.
- Patrol Officer Michael Farley was involved in a shooting in July 2003, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer story at the time. He and his partner were responding to a domestic disturbance. The officers and the suspect exchanged a barrage of gunfire in the following chase. The shooting started after the suspect shot at the police cruiser and the bullet when through the car door and struck Farley's partner in the hip. [MORE]