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6 officers fired, 6 disciplined for deadly 2012 police chase

Six officers, including Michael Brelo, were fired. The six remaining officers will be disciplined. One officer has already retired.

CLEVELAND -- Disciplinary actions for 13 Cleveland police officers involved in teh deadly Nov. 29, 2012 pursuit and shooting were announced Tuesday afternoon.

Six officers were fired. Those include: Wilfredo Diaz, Brian Sabolik, Erin O'Donnell, Michael Farley, Christopher Ereg and Michael Brelo.

Six remaining officers will be disciplined. They are: Paul Box, Cynthia Moore, Randy Patrick, Michael Rinkus, William Salupo and Scott Sistek.

One officer, Det. Michael Demchak, has already retired.

The officers were involved in the November 2012 chase that ended in a hail of bullets. Officers fired 137 shots, killing the two suspects, Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams. Neither suspect was armed.

Brelo was the only officer tried separately. He was acquitted of two counts of voluntary manslaughter last May.

The car police were chasing was a 1979 Chevy Malibu, driven by Timothy Russell, 43, of Maple Heights, and his passenger was Malissa Williams, 30. With 137 shots fired, Russell was hit 23 times and Williams was hit 24 times;

Of the 137 shots fired at Heritage Middle School on Terrace Road in East Cleveland at the end of the pursuit, Ohio, Brelo fired 49 shots;

The pursuit, according to the records, went through 76 traffic light and stop signs, 141 3-way intersections, 71 4-way intersections and the Malibu reached speeds of 110 mph. It started outside the Justice Center in downtown Cleveland and ended in the school parking lot in East Cleveland.

City officials held a press conference Tuesday at 1 p.m. to announce the decisions.

RELATED LINKS:

Michael Brelo verdict: From gunfire to not guilty

Cleveland seeks to discipline police for 2012 post-chase gunfire

TIMELINE | Events leading up to Michael Brelo trial

Prosecutor | Full statement on police chase indictments

Judge dismisses indictments against 5 police supervisors

2 dead following chase, police involved shooting

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