"Keep your protest signs because this will happen again." [MORE] White supremacy is war against Black people in general. [MORE]"
From [HERE] The estates of two Black people shot and killed by Cleveland police during a chase that involved more than 60 squad cars and 137 shots fired sued the city, its police department and officers in federal court Thursday in a wrongful death lawsuit.
The suit in U.S. District Court in Cleveland filed on behalf of the families of driver Timothy Russell, 43, and his passenger, Malissa Williams, 30. claims officers used excessive force, supervisors failed to rein in officers during the chase and top administrators provided inadequate supervision and training to officers regarding the department's policies and practices.
Elizabeth Goodwin, the administrator for Williams' estate, and Debra Bodnar, the administrator for Russell's estate, are seeking an undetermined amount of money, plus reforms in the police department. Though the court was closed on Thanksgiving, attorneys filed the suit electronically.
Police Claim they heard a Gun Shot & Saw a Gun Thrown Out of a Window: Attorney General Mike DeWine Found Car was Prone to Loud Backfiring from Muffler. No gun or gun residue was found after an exhaustive search. [MORE]
Russell was shot 23 times and Williams was shot 24 times one year ago.
The lawsuit identifies a number of city officials, including Mayor Frank Jackson, Police Chief Michael McGrath and Safety Director Martin Flask, and police officers involved in the chase and shooting. The lawsuit is the latest chapter in year-long legal saga that seeks to determine what took place when 60-some police cruisers (more than a third of on-duty officers participating) chased Russell and Williams for more than 20 miles to the parking lot of Heritage Middle School in East Cleveland and the gunfire that followed. The suit says the pair did not have a gun with them during any part of the pursuit.
The civil complaint not only addresses the individual officers' conduct, but also the systemic failures of the police department. For instance, according to a report by the Attorney General many of the officers were told to disengage from the pursuit and either did not hear the command or ignored it. [MORE]
The Nov. 29 chase began downtown after officers believed someone had fired a gun from Russell's 1979 Chevrolet Malibu SS. In fact, the suit claims, it was not a gun shot but the car backfiring.
During the pursuit, officers believed the gunfire had continued and, at one point, they reported that the car had rammed a police cruiser. The chase zigzagged through Cleveland 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.
Once at the East Cleveland school, 13 Cleveland officers converged on the Black man's car and fired 137 bullets at Williams and Russell. 12 of the 13 Cleveland officers involved were white. [MORE] One officer, Michael Brelo (racist suspect interviewed in video below) fired so many rounds, he had to reload his weapon at least once, according to documents and interviews.
The 59-page lawsuit details the chase and the gunfire that followed it. It also alleges multiple missteps by administrators, supervisors and officers. The suit claims that supervisors failed "to de-escalate" the events by permitting the pursuit to continue beyond the city's two-police car limit. It also said supervisors allowed unmarked cars to enter the pursuit and jockey for the lead position, a violation of city policy.
The suit said the officers involved in the shooting failed to assess the situation, especially after a pause in the gunfire occurred. The civil complaint said neither Williams nor Russell was a threat to the officers.
In October, city administrators disciplined 63 officers for their roles in the chase that reached speeds of 125 mph. A few months earlier, a handful of administrators were punished for the pursuit. Administrators said the officers failed to follow city procedures, including asking permission to join the pursuit. The supervisors were accused of giving few instructions to officers and failing to monitor and coordinate the officers, according to court documents.
A Cuyahoga County grand jury is investigating the 13 officers who fired the shots into Russell's car. Much of the case pending before the grand jury stems from an investigation by agents of the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation. After the investigation, DeWine declared the chase and shooting as a "systemic failure" of the police department. The U.S. Justice Department also is investigating the department's use of force.
A Cuyahoga County grand jury is investigating the 13 officers who fired the shots into Russell's car. Much of the case pending before the grand jury stems from an investigation by agents of the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation. After the investigation, DeWine declared the chase and shooting as a "systemic failure" of the police department. The U.S. Justice Department also is investigating the department's use of force.
"Command failed, communications failed, the system failed," DeWine said.
Mayoral spokeswoman Maureen Harper said the city would respond to the issues in court. “As with any legal matter, we will review it and address the issues raised by the lawsuit through the legal process,” she said in an email.
The police union leader, Jeff Follmer, said the officers acted properly and would be vindicated in court.
“The officers were doing their job that night to protect the public and apprehend criminals,” Follmer said.