Cleveland, OH -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/06/2013 -- Nearly a year after two unarmed occupants in a car were fatally shot by 13 members of the City of Cleveland Division of Police following a pursuit, the family of the victims have filed a lawsuit against the city seeking damages and police reform to protect the public.
On Nov. 29, 2012, Russell and his passenger Williams traveled in a car in downtown Cleveland. A Cleveland Police Officer heard a sound that he claimed to be a gunshot. It was subsequently determined that the sound the officer heard was the car backfiring. A 25-plus minute chase ensued that involved dozens of officers from the Cleveland Police Department. The chase involved five-dozen police cars, a violation of the City's General Police Orders, before ending in a barrage of unnecessary gunfire. Police fired 137 shots at the vehicle after it was stopped behind a middle school in East Cleveland.
The driver, Timothy Russell, 43, was shot 23 times and passenger Malissa Williams, 30, was shot 24 times. One of the officers involved in the shooting fired forty-nine (49) rounds of ammunition. In October of this year, a review of a deadly police chase led to some discipline of officers and Supervisors. The 13 officers who intentionally fired weapons have not yet been disciplined by the City.
Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said, “The system failed everyone” when he released a report about the incident in February. DeWine said police misinterpreted facts and did not follow rules.
While justice remains the primary goal of this lawsuit, David Malik, an attorney representing the family of Malissa Williams along with co-counsel, Tyrone Reed, hope to ultimately assemble a formal collaborative among stakeholders in the community, the City and the police.
The lawsuit calls for a model between the police and public similar to what the Cincinnati Police Department adopted in 2002 after years of discourse and tension with the public. The City worked with community leaders, clergy and citizens to set up guidelines that not only required the full cooperation of all parties, but sincerity in wanting to achieve sustainable results.
For more information about the lawsuit please contact media liaison Stan Donaldson at 216-278-0634 or stan.donaldsonjr@gmail.com. Media liaison Monique Wingard can be reached at (937) 540-2082 or moniquewingard@gmail.com. For the latest news and updates on the case, visit AmericanLawRadio.com.
About The Law Office of David B. Malik & Associates
Civil Rights for Civil Wrongs - The Law Office of David B. Malik & Associates has been successfully representing victims of police misconduct for over 25 years.