Raw: Protests Erupt After Officer Acquittal
AP
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7:30 p.m.
About
150 protesters marched down the middle of downtown Cleveland streets
Saturday night, temporarily blocking intersections as they chanted
anti-police slogans after a judge acquitted a white police officer of
charges in the deaths of two unarmed black suspects.
The
protesters passed by large crowds leaving a Cleveland Indians game
against the Cincinnati Reds and made downtown vehicle and pedestrian
traffic even more congested.
Sports fans stood
at street corners taking cellphone pictures of the protesters as they
marched behind a large banner that said "Stop murder by police."
---
5:25 p.m.
Some
residents of Cleveland are looking ahead to what could be the next big
moment in tensions with police: a decision on whether to charge a white
officer in the killing of a 12-year-old black boy.
About
200 people have pulled up stakes after gathering Saturday afternoon at a
recreation center Tamir Rice was killed six months ago. They spoke in
angry tones but the gathering remained peaceful. Chants of "No justice,
no peace" rang out.
Forty-year-old Latonya Goldsby says: "We just want people to know we're still standing here six months later."
Authorities are wrapping up an investigation into the shooting of the boy, who was carrying a pellet gun.
Prosecutors can charge the officer, present evidence for an indictment or rule it justified and not pursue criminal charges.
---
4:35 p.m.
A court official says the decision to announce the verdict on a holiday weekend wasn't made lightly.
Administrative
county Judge John J. Russo says in a statement that court
administrators and local law enforcement agreed that by announcing the
verdict Saturday morning, the potential for downtown traffic issues and
any resulting impacts could be lessened.
Russo says the main consideration was to not delay the verdict longer than necessary.
He
says that "while the wait was difficult for many, it was especially
hard on the parties involved in the case and their families."
---
4:15 p.m.
Cleveland
Police Chief Calvin Williams says that protesters of the patrolman's
acquittal are peacefully exercising their First Amendment Rights.
He
has asked at a news briefing that parents keep their children close and
make sure they know where they are. He also is asking city residents to
be patient in traffic disrupted by protesters
He says the city will not tolerate any violence but is trying to ensure people can exercise their right to protest.
---
3:55 p.m.
Cleveland
Cavaliers superstar LeBron James is not commenting directly on the
acquittal, but he is expressing hope the city will remain calm.
He tells reporters that "violence is not the answer, and it's all about trying to find a solution, for good or for bad."
Saturday
afternoon, neighbors are coming out of storefronts and standing on
porches to watch dozens of marchers pass by, almost like a parade.
The
protesters are marching about 4 miles from the downtown courthouse to a
recreation center where 12-year-old Tamir (tah-MEER') Rice was shot and
killed by a police officer six months ago.
Dozens of officers in police cars and on horseback and motorcycles are following the group while rerouting and blocking traffic.
---
3:15 p.m.
Protests
have remained peaceful throughout Cleveland after a white patrolman was
acquitted of killing two unarmed black motorists.
About
80 protesters are marching through a neighborhood after briefly
blocking traffic on a downtown highway. Police are following the
protesters on foot and in patrol cars and blocking off traffic.
But so far police aren't trying to stop the group.
The group formed a line across the highway along Lake Erie and stopped traffic for about 10 minutes Saturday.
---
3 p.m.
Protesters have blocked a highway in Cleveland that runs downtown and along Lake Erie.
They have formed a line along the highway, blocking traffic in both directions.
The group had originally gathered downtown, then marched through the streets and crossed a bridge.
---
2:30 p.m.
About
200 people have gathered for a mock funeral to protest the acquittal of
a Cleveland police officer in the deaths of two unarmed suspects.
Dozens
of people walked in a peaceful procession carrying a black, plywood
coffin and softly singing "I'm going up yonder, we're marching, we're
marching."
The protest is being held in a park
near the home of the Cuyahoga County prosecutor who lost the case
against patrolmen Michael Brelo.
Marchers also
protested the lack of progress in the investigation of the killing of a
12-year-old boy carrying a pellet gun by Cleveland police last year.
Some carried signs saying "Will I Be Next?" and "I Can't Breathe" and "Freddie Gray Lynched."
---
2:15 p.m.
The
prosecutor in the case against a Cleveland police officer who was found
not guilty in the deaths of two unarmed suspects says he respects the
judge's decision and urged others to do the same.
Cuyahoga
County prosecutor Tim McGinty says the shooting reinforces the need for
more training and better supervision in the police department.
He noted at news conference Saturday that the department is understaffed.
The
Department of Justice concluded in December that the Cleveland police
department had engaged in a pattern of using excessive force and
violating people's civil rights.
The city and
DOJ are currently negotiating a reform-minded consent decree that a
federal judge will approve and independent monitors will oversee.
---
1:30 p.m.
A
Cleveland attorney is asking why patrolman Michael Brelo was the only
officer charged in the deaths of two unarmed suspects in a volley of
police gunfire.
Paul Cristallo spoke at a news
conference Thursday with the family of shooting victim Timothy Russell,
who along with Malissa Williams was killed after a police chase in
2012.
Cristallo says even though Brelo was acquitted, one the 13 other officers who fired shots should be charged.
A judge found Brelo not guilty Saturday because it couldn't be determined which officer fired the fatal shots.
---
12:50 p.m.
The
Justice Department plans to "review all available legal options" after a
Cleveland police officer's acquittal on state charges in the deaths of
two unarmed suspects.
Officials say they will
review the trial testimony and evidence to determine if "additional
steps are available and appropriate" in the federal judicial system.
The
department says the review is separate from its efforts to resolve a
pattern of civil rights violations at the Cleveland police department. A
report in December outlined a string of examples of excessive force,
including officers who unnecessarily fired guns, hit suspects in the
head with weapons, and punched and used Tasers on people already
handcuffed.
Judge John P. O'Donnell found
Officer Michael Brelo not guilty on all charges Saturday after
concluding that the patrolman was justified in using lethal force.
O'Donnell also said it could not be determined who fired the fatal
shots.
---
12:15 p.m.
The
lead attorney for the Cleveland police officer who was found not guilty
of manslaughter in the deaths of two unarmed suspects says the
prosecution spared no expense and "were ruthless."
Patrick
D'Angelo calls the case a "tragedy" that was brought about by the
actions of the two people who were killed in a 137-shot barrage of
police gunfire.
He says 31-year-old officer
Michael Brelo risked his life the night Timothy Russell and Malissa
Williams led officers on a long police chase through the city's streets.
The
head of the city's police union says Brelo was held accountable through
the indictment, trial and ultimate acquittal. Steve Loomis of Cleveland
Patrolmen's Association says he hopes the community respects the judge
and the process.
---
11:50 a.m.
At
least 30 protesters have gathered at the Cleveland courthouse where a
patrolman was acquitted in the deaths of two unarmed suspects who were
killed in a 137-shot barrage of police gunfire.
About
an equal number of sheriff's deputies bearing clear shields stood in
front of the courthouse shortly after the verdict as the demonstrators
chanted "hands up, don't shoot."
One man standing in front of the phalanx of deputies bowed his head with hands folded, praying in silence.
The deputies have moved inside the entrance of the justice center, and the plaza in front of the building has been cordoned off.
Officer Michael Brelo faced as many as 22 years in prison had the judge convicted him on two counts of voluntary manslaughter.
---
11 a.m.
A
Cleveland officer has been found not guilty in the shooting deaths of
two unarmed suspects in a 137-shot barrage of police gunfire after a
high-speed chase.
The judge's verdict Saturday
for 31-year-old Michael Brelo (BREE'-loh) comes after a four-week bench
trial on two counts of voluntary manslaughter in the deaths of Timothy
Russell and Malissa Williams on Nov. 29, 2012.
Thirteen officers fired at the suspects' car that night in a school parking lot. Yet only Brelo was charged criminally.
Prosecutors
said he waited until the vehicle had stopped and the occupants were no
longer a threat to step onto the hood and fire 15 rounds into the
windshield.
Brelo could have faced 22 years in prison if convicted on both counts.
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