Cleveland Settles For $3 Million in Fatal Car Chase That Ended With 13 Cops Firing 137 Shots, Killing Two

Without any major filings or motions from either
side, the city of Cleveland
settled a wrongful death suit with the families of Timothy
Russell and Marissa Williams for $3 million. Russell and Williams
were killed by police at the end of a car chase that most likely
started when a cop mistook the backfire of a car for a gunshot.

Of the 13 officers involved in the fatal shooting, only one was

indicted, for involuntary manslaughter. Five other cops were
charged with dereliction of duty for allowing the chase to
escalate. They’ve all pled not guilty.

The Plain Dealer compares the settlement to some
previous ones
Cleveland’s made:

In 2003, the city paid $1.9 million in the case of an 8-year-old
boy who was struck by a stray bullet from a detective’s gun. The
officer had been scuffling with a suspect when the gun fired, and a
bullet pierced the child’s internal organs. The boy recovered and
later returned to school.

In 2008, Cleveland paid $1 million to the family of 16-year-old
Ricardo Mason, who was killed by police after a car chase in 2002.
Police claimed the driver tried to pin the officers with his car
after patrolmen approached it, prompting officers to fire at the
car.

In 2012, Cleveland paid $900,000 to former state prison guard
Martin Robinson, whose violent confrontation with a group of vice
officers nearly ended with Robinson and officers shooting at each
other outside a prison fence. Robinson claimed officers attacked
him and falsely arrested him. He claims the attack has left him
unable to work.

A probate judge has to approve
the settlement as “fair” before it’s finalized.

An attorney for Michael Brelo, the officer who fired 49 shots,
15 from the hood of Russell’s car, said the settlement didn’t
affect his client’s case, insisting the victim’s families
“bootstrapped themselves on the investigation and have used it for
their case.”