Police officer in Cleveland found not guilty... Riots pending...

quote:

---

What led to the deaths of Russell and Williams, prosecutors said, was a chase that began when a car driven by Russell backfired -- a noise that officers thought was caused by gunshots -- in Cleveland on November 29, 2012.

More than 60 police cars pursued the vehicle for 20 miles, sometime hitting speeds more than 100 mph.

When the chase ended in a middle school parking lot, about a dozen officers fired 137 shots at Williams' car, Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Timothy McGlinty said. Each was struck more than 20 times, according to the U.S. Justice Department.

Of the 137 shots, according to prosecutors, the only ones that weren't legally justified were the final 15, allegedly fired by Brelo, who is white.

Firing had stopped when Russell's vehicle became trapped between two police cars, the prosecutor said.

But Brelo got on top of the car's hood and "fired at least 15 shots, including fatal shots, downward through the windshield into the victims at close range as he stood on the hood of Mr. Russell's car," McGlinty said.

Prosecutors said the final 15 shots were unlawful because they had no chance of escaping and they no longer presented a threat to anyone's safety.

---