A Cleveland police officer was found not guilty of two charges of voluntary manslaughter in the deaths of two people during a police pursuit more than two years ago.
Cuyahoga Common Pleas Judge John P. O'Donnell ruled that Officer Michael Brelo was legally justified in his use of deadly force in the fatal shootings of Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams on Nov. 29, 2012, according to The Northeast Ohio Media Group .
O'Donnell also found that Brelo was not guilty of the lesser offense of felonious assault.
Brelo could have faced 22 years in prison if he was convicted on both counts.
The 31-year-old officer was one of more than 100 members of the Cleveland Police Department take took part in the 22-minute-long pursuit -- and one of 13 officers who shot at a 1979 Chevy Malibu, killing the driver and his passenger.
Prosecutors argued that when other officers stopped firing, Brelo jumped onto the car's hood and shot straight down at the pair. They claimed those actions were unreasonable and went well beyond Brelo's duties as a law enforcement officer.
Defense attorneys said that Brelo had reason to fear for his life, and was justified in his use of deadly force because he and other officers believed that Russell and Williams were armed and had fired shots. They also argued that if the dozen other police officers who fired shots were justified, Brelo was as well.
Five police supervisors either directly involved in the pursuit or who supervised in some capacity have been charged with dereliction of duty.
A date for that trial has not yet been set yet.
