CLEVELAND — On Nov. 29, 2012, a police chase involving 60 police cruisers through multiple cities in Northeast Ohio ended with 13 officers firing 137 shots into a car leading to the deaths of two unarmed individuals, Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams.
Ten years later, the city of Cleveland still unites to remember Russell and Williams. Community activists and leaders counted to 137 for each of the 137 shots in the parking lot of W.H. Kirk Middle School in East Cleveland Tuesday night.
W.H. Kirk Middle School was Heritage Middle School in 2012 and it is the location where Williams and Russell lost their lives.
The high-speed chase began after an officer mistook backfire from Russell's 1979 Chevy Malibu as gunshots. An investigation revealed that the two were unarmed.
The high-profile case caught national attention once again after the '137 Shots' documentary aired on Netflix on Dec. 15, 2021 exploring the case which according to Netflix shows how "law enforcement faces scrutiny as Americans demand justice after police violence claims multiple Black lives in Cleveland.”
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