CLEVELAND – The 27-minute police chase on Nov. 29, 2012 started after an officer thought Malissa Williams and Timothy Russell fired shots at their police cruiser in downtown Cleveland.
More than 60 police cars took part in the chase, which ended at an East Cleveland school with 137 shots being fired at Williams and Russell, killing both.
Monday, July 14, the city reached a settlement with the victims’ families for damages .
The family of Timothy Russell released this statement Sunday via their attorney Paul Cristallo:
From the day the Cleveland Police shot and killed Tim Russell, his family has been suffering. Tim’s father Dave, his sister Michelle, his brothers David Jr., Donald, Michael, as well as their spouses and children, lost a beloved family member in a gruesome execution that became a public spectacle. The Russell family did not ask for this tragedy nor the publicity that has come with it.
Rather than be able to deal with Tim’s death in a private and personal manner, the Russell family was put in a position of having to deal with the media, investigators, community activists, government officials, and, of course, public opinion.
Before Tim’s body was laid to rest, the Russell family has had to deal with disparaging and hurtful comments. People who never knew Tim or Melissa posted tasteless, racist and mean spirited comments about them and their families. Yet as awful as many of those comments were, the Russell family has always appreciated that ignorant people exist, the internet allows people to hide behind anonymity, and that the only judgment that matters is the one that comes from God.
To read more of the complete statement, click here: NewsNet5.com
Article and Picture Courtesy of WEWS NewsChannel 5
