Aaron Josefczyk/Reuters
A judge has acquitted Cleveland police officer Michael Brelo of manslaughter in the deaths of an unarmed black couple in 2012. Brelo, along with several other officers, fired a total of 137 rounds at Timothy Russell and his passenger Malissa Williams during a chase. 49 shots were fired by Brelo alone, who climbed onto the hood of Russell’s car and fired 15 rounds, including the last fatal shots. Russell later said he thought gunfire was coming from the car; no weapon was ever recovered. National Guard troops are standing by in Cleveland. Cavaliers superstar LeBron James is not directly commenting on the acquittal but hopes the city will remain calm. "Violence is not the answer, and it's all about trying to find a solution, for good or for bad."
On Saturday afternoon after the verdict was announced, a small group of protestors marched through downtown Cleveland with police racing ahead of them to close streets. There were no reports of major violence, unlike in Baltimore following the death of Freddie Gray, but police did arrest three people following a scuffle with some officers. Another three were arrested Saturday evening as protestors "engaged with" restaraunt goers in Cleveland's gastro street. Mayor Frank Jackson complimented both the protestors and the police on their restraint.