Words by: John “Hennry” Harris
75 police officers in Cleveland, OH are finally going to be disciplined for firing more than 137 shots killing an unarmed couple November 29 of last year.
An August 2nd report in the Cleveland Plain Dealer reveals that 19 of the 75 officers will reportedly face charges including engaging in a chase without permission and providing false information on duty.
More than 100 officers in 60 police cars engaged in a high-speed chase of 43 year-old Timothy Russell and 30 year-old Malissa Williams. According to the Business Insider, none of the officers have thus far lost their jobs even months after the incident.
The 25 minute chase that involved three districts ended in the school parking lot of Heritage Middle School, where the couple died in a hail of bullets ripping through their car.
Described as a gunfight, it turns out it wasn’t much of a fight at all as police found Williams shot 24 times and Russell shot 23 times, both unarmed and dead. Not one police officer was injured in the chase.
Timothy Russell reportedly fled after hitting a police car. Russell was driving on a suspended license and he and his companion, Malissa Williams, had cocaine and marijuana in their system.
According to the officers involved, Russell and Williams had fired at the officers, which evidence points to as clearly not being the case.
The state attorney’s office believed police thought the couple had a gun because of wrong information broadcast over police radio.
Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine summed up this stunning overkill as being abnormal and a tragedy.
“There was nothing normal about this case,” he said.
What apparently does appear to be normal is the Cleveland police department’s history of using excessive force and Chief Michael McGrath looking the other way. Widespread protests have not produced any firings or indictments.
Many people of color face similar issues across this country as those who are supposed to protect the public act with more lawlessness than the criminals they are supposed to protect us from. Acts such as this one, naturally breed mistrust, fear, animosity, and tension between the police and public.
