Cleveland Police Officer Michael Brelo was cleared of manslaughter charges today in the shooting deaths of Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams.
The black couple was shot to death after they dragged the officer on the hood of their car.
Officer Brelo broke down in tears as the judge read off his decision today in court.
The Daily Mail reported:
The Cleveland cop who jumped onto the hood of a car and fired 15 shots at an unarmed couple killed during a gunfight with police has been found not guilty.
Michael Brelo, 31, broke down in tears as he acquitted in a Cleveland, Ohio, courtof two counts of voluntary manslaughter for the deaths of Timothy Russell, 43, and Malissa Williams, 30.
The pair died during a 137-shot barage by police after a high-speed chase in November 2012.
Judge John O’Donnell said it was difficult to determine who delivered the fatal blow, adding that Brelo acted responsibly on the night of the incident.
The trial, which began on April 6, took place as high-profile killings of unarmed black men by white police officers continue to pile pressure on U.S. law enforcement.
Before issuing his verdict, Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge John P. O’Donnell noted the recent unrest in Ferguson, Missouri, and Baltimore over the deaths of black suspects but said he would not ‘sacrifice’ Brelo to an angry public if the evidence did not merit a conviction.
‘Guilty or not guilty, the verdict should be no cause for a civilized society to celebrate or riot,’ he said.