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on November 29, 2013 at 2:30 PM, updated November 29, 2013 at 9:40 PM
Pictured are Malissa Williams and Tim Russell
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CLEVELAND, Ohio – The number 137 is standing out to many community groups in Cleveland like few others.
That’s the number of shots 13 Cleveland police officers fired at Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams a year ago Friday, ending a 25-minute police chase across Cleveland into neighboring East Cleveland. And 365 days later, some of those community groups say they have seen little done to correct “the worst catastrophe in the police department’s history.” ( Read on below or CLICK THIS LINK HERE TO READ THE FULL PLAIN DEALER STORY AT CLEVELAND.COM AND TO WATCH THE ASSOCIATED VIDEO )
“Ninety percent of the people we talk to in the community feel that Malissa and Timothy have not gotten any justice,” said Art McKoy, founder of Black On Black Crime.
The rally was organized by Kathy Wray Coleman of the Imperial Women Activists Group. (www.clevelandurbannews.com) McKoy and Oppressed People's Nation Chairman Ernest Smith led family members and friends of Russell and Williams, as well as other community activists, through the parking lot of Heritage Middle School in East Cleveland Friday night at a rally marking the shootings' first anniversary.
"I am Timothy," Smith would call, and the crowd repeated him. "I am Malissa."
"How many shots?"
"137."
The school was the final scene of the 22-mile pursuit that left Russell, 43, and Williams, 30, dead in the front seat of Russell’s 1979 Chevrolet Malibu Nov. 29, 2012.
Russell's sister, Michelle, said the past year has been hard for her family.
"We haven't really gotten any answers," Michelle Russell said. "A whole year has gone by and we're still waiting for all of the investigations to be completed to determine if anyone's going to be held accountable.
"And when I say accountable, I think people need to be terminated, prosecuted."
Williams' mother, Martha, had a simple message.
"All I want is justice for my daughter," she said. "I cry every day....And I want (the police officers involved) to go to jail."
“We’re not going to let it go quietly,” Smith told cleveland.com earlier this week. “We’re going to pay tribute and homage to this murder and massacre. We haven’t forgotten.”
The pursuit began in earnest around 10:30 p.m., as Russell drove past the Justice Center in downtown Cleveland. Officers heard what they believed was a gunshot from his vehicle, but it was later revealed that Russell’s car had a history of backfiring. Minutes earlier, Russell had fled from a traffic stop near East 18th Street and Superior Avenue.
Radio communication throughout the chase led officers to believe Williams had a gun in the passenger seat. Officers attempted to trap Russell’s Malibu in Heritage's parking lot, but as he tried to escape, he drove in the direction of officers who had exited their vehicle. The officers told investigators they feared for the their lives.
Thirty seconds later, in what Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine described as a chaotic scene, 13 officers had fired their weapons 137 times – including one officer who fired 49 shots. Russell was shot 24 times, and Williams 23 times. No weapon belonging to the two was ever located, and gunpowder residue collected at the scene was inconclusive, DeWine said.
Jeff Follmer, president of the Cleveland Police Patrolmen’s Association, said the officers’ actions were justified by those of Russell and Williams, which Follmer said led officers to believe they were dealing with “an active shooter.”
“The facts are the facts, and you can’t take away the officers’ perceptions in that parking lot,” Follmer said. "(Russell and Williams) were still creating a threat with their actions. None of the officers were looking to get into this type of situation."
Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Timothy McGinty convened a grand jury, which has nearly completed hearing testimony of nearly 50 subpoenaed officers to determine if criminal charges are warranted. The testimony is the third and final phase in the probe into officers’ actions. The first two phases saw a supervisor fired and 63 officers given a total of 178 suspension days. CLICK THIS LINK HERE TO READ THE FULL PLAIN DEALER STORY AT CLEVELAND.COM AND TO WATCH THE ASSOCIATED VIDEO
