It started with a loud pop. Just one. Two police officers outside the Justice Center in downtown Cleveland heard it and thought it was a gunshot. They were wrong. It was just an old 1979 Chevy Malibu backfiring. But that single mechanical hiccup triggered one of the most chaotic and violent nights in the history of Ohio law enforcement.
By the time the sun came up, Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams were dead. They weren't just killed; they were obliterated in a hail of 137 bullets.
Timothy was 43. Malissa was 30. Both were homeless, struggling with mental health issues and addiction, and basically just trying to survive another cold November night in 2012. They didn't have a gun. They didn't have a plan. Honestly, they were probably just terrified when a sea of blue lights started chasing them through the streets.
The 22-Minute Chase Through Cleveland
The pursuit was absolute madness. Imagine 62 different police cars—about a third of the entire Cleveland police force on duty that night—weaving through city streets at speeds hitting 100 mph. It lasted 22 minutes and covered 23 miles.
During the chase, the radio was a mess of misinformation. One officer reported seeing a gun. Another claimed shots were fired from the Malibu. None of it was true. Timothy Russell was actually wearing black gloves and at one point held out a red soda can, which some officers later claimed they thought was a weapon.
The chase finally ended in the parking lot of Heritage Middle School in East Cleveland. The Malibu was boxed in. There was nowhere left to go.
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Then the shooting started.
Thirteen officers opened fire. It wasn't a controlled response; it was a "barrage" in every sense of the word. Within seconds, 137 rounds were pumped into the car. Timothy was hit 23 times. Malissa was hit 24 times.
Michael Brelo and the Hood of the Car
If you’ve heard of this case, you’ve probably heard the name Michael Brelo. He was one of the many officers firing, but his actions were what really grabbed the headlines and eventually led to a trial.
According to prosecutors, after the initial wave of shooting stopped and other officers had ceased fire, Brelo did something unthinkable. He climbed onto the hood of Russell’s car. He stood there, looking down through the windshield, and fired at least 15 more rounds directly into the couple at close range.
He claimed he feared for his life and thought the suspects were still a threat.
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In 2015, a judge found him not guilty of voluntary manslaughter. The reasoning? It was impossible to prove which specific bullet killed the victims because so many officers were shooting at the same time. Judge John P. O’Donnell basically said that while Brelo fired lethal shots, so did everyone else, so the "causation" wasn't clear enough for a conviction.
What Really Happened with the Investigation?
The aftermath was a total gut punch for the community. While the city eventually paid out $3 million to the families of Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams in a wrongful death settlement, the lack of criminal convictions felt like a failure to many.
The Department of Justice eventually stepped in. They didn't just look at this one shooting; they looked at the whole department. Their 2014 report was scathing. They found a "pattern or practice" of excessive force within the Cleveland Division of Police. They noted that officers were often too quick to use their guns and that the department's oversight was basically non-existent.
This case was a huge catalyst for the Black Lives Matter movement in Ohio. It exposed deep rifts between the police and the Black community in Cleveland. People weren't just mad about the 137 shots; they were mad about the systemic failures that allowed a car backfire to escalate into a mass shooting.
The Aftermath and Accountability
So, what changed? A lot, and also not enough.
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Cleveland entered into a consent decree with the federal government. This meant they had to overhaul their training, change how they handled car chases, and start wearing body cameras. The days of 60-car chases through residential neighborhoods were supposed to be over.
Most of the officers involved in the shooting eventually got their jobs back through arbitration, which is a whole other complicated legal mess. Only a few were actually fired and stayed fired.
Today, the story of Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams serves as a grim reminder of how quickly "police perception" can turn fatal when there is a lack of communication and high-stress adrenaline.
Actionable Insights and Lessons
- Understand Your Rights: If you are ever in a situation involving a police pursuit, the safest action—regardless of fear—is to stop in a well-lit, public area.
- Advocate for Transparency: Support local initiatives that push for police body cameras and independent oversight boards. The Cleveland case proved that internal reviews often fail to provide accountability.
- Mental Health Awareness: Both victims were struggling with homelessness and mental health. Supporting local shelters and "co-responder" models (where social workers join police on certain calls) can prevent these types of tragic escalations.
- Follow the Data: You can track the progress of the Cleveland Police Consent Decree through the Cleveland Police Monitoring Team's public reports to see if the promised reforms are actually happening.
The tragedy of the 137 shots isn't just a piece of Cleveland history. It's a case study in why clear communication and strict pursuit policies are a matter of life and death.