As protests subside, decisions remain
2 more police shooting cases ahead in Cleveland.
Cleveland emerged unscathed and intact after a day of protests following the acquittal of a white patrolman who had been on trial in the shooting deaths of two unarmed black suspects killed in a 137-shot barrage of police gunfire.
Officers arrested 71 people the night after the verdict, though there was nothing close to the violence other cities have experienced over the treatment of black suspects.
But Cleveland is not yet done dealing with deadly police encounters.
Two other high-profile police-involved deaths still hang over the city: the shooting by a rookie patrolman of a boy hold- ing a pellet gun and the death of a mentally ill woman after officers took her to the ground and handcuffed her.
The deaths of Tamir Rice, 12, and Tanisha Anderson, 37, occurred just eight days apart last November. An investigation by the Cuyahoga County sheriff ’s department into Tamir’s death is nearly ready to be given to prosecutors, who will decide whether to pursue criminal charges.
The status of the investigation into Anderson’s death is unclear. A medical examiner said she was asphyxiated, and her death was ruled a homicide. City and police officials did not respond to messages Sunday seeking an update.
Tamir and Anderson, like the two motorists whose deaths were at the center of Saturday’s verdict, were black. The rookie officer who fatally shot Tamir is white. In the Anderson case, one officer is white and the other is black.
The acquittal of Patrolman Michael Brelo in the November 2012 deaths of Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams prompted a spontaneous protest outside the courthouse that later merged with a planned protest over Tamir’s death at the recreation center where he was shot.
The protests that weaved through downtown Cleveland were boisterous but peaceful throughout the day Saturday. It was only later that trouble began with fights, bystanders being pepper sprayed by protesters and confrontations involving police, some of whom wore riot gear.
On Sunday, Mayor Frank Jackson thanked the vast majority of protesters who remained peaceful and respectful as they voiced their frustration with the verdict.