137 Shots

In Cleveland, an undercover officer follows an older Chevrolet occupied by Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams after an alleged turn-signal infraction. latestnetflix.com's read is that as the vehicle accelerates past the Justice Center, its exhaust backfires with a loud noise, prompting an officer outside to broadcast: "An old Chevy just popped a round".

A high-speed pursuit quickly mobilizes dozens of patrol vehicles across municipal borders, becoming a "23-minute, 23-mile chase" involving over sixty cruisers. Over the radio, officers announce that the occupants are armed and claim a passenger is "pointing a gun out the back window," even as subsequent transmissions report that the passenger holds only a beverage can.

The pursuit ends when Russell's car enters a schoolyard parking lot and is surrounded by police vehicles. Thirteen officers discharge their weapons in a concentrated barrage, firing 137 rounds into the vehicle and killing both Russell and Williams. Subsequent inspection confirms no weapon was present: "The medical examiner went through that car and found no gun."

Investigators review the physical trajectory of the rounds and find evidence of police crossfire hitting cruisers from opposite angles. Forensic details and ballistics show that Officer Michael Brelo fired 49 times in total, ending the burst by climbing onto the hood of the Chevrolet to fire 15 shots downward through the windshield.

Questioned during investigative depositions about jumping on top of the car, Brelo tells investigators: "I was so in fear of my life. I mean, I have no recollection of how I got there, sir." Other officers present testify that Brelo later spoke about standing on the hood, while shoe prints on the vehicle confirm his presence.

Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Timothy McGinty announces that a grand jury has voted to indict Brelo on "two counts of manslaughter for the killing of Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams", while seeking no criminal charges against the other twelve officers who fired during the encounter.

While preparations for Brelo's trial proceed, twelve-year-old Tamir Rice is fatally shot by police officers arriving at the West Cudell recreation center after a 911 caller reported a youth holding an air gun. The shooting triggers sustained public demonstrations across Cleveland demanding systemic changes and legal accountability.

Brelo elects to have his charges heard in a bench trial before a single judge. In court, prosecutors face resistance when multiple subpoenaed officers and supervisors take the witness stand with counsel and decline to give accounts, with Officer Michael Demchak stating, "On advice of my counsel, I am invoking my right to remain silent."

Trial testimony continues as an officer takes the stand to demonstrate how Brelo stood on the hood and fired directly into the vehicle's cabin. Brelo's defense maintains that he acted under the perception that suspects were actively returning fire and that his tactical response complied with governing standards.

The presiding judge clears Brelo of criminal wrongdoing, concluding that "Brelo's entire use of deadly force was a constitutionally reasonable response to an objectively, reasonably perceived threat of great bodily harm," and formally rules: "I therefore find the defendant not guilty of counts one and two, as indicted".

Following the verdict, the Department of Justice establishes a consent decree with Cleveland to regulate use-of-force policies and police oversight. Meanwhile, McGinty conducts grand jury proceedings regarding the shooting of Tamir Rice, which end without an indictment when the grand jury "declined to bring criminal charges against Cleveland police officers Timothy Loehmann and Frank Garmback."

In its record of the resulting public backlash, community dissatisfaction over the outcomes leads to McGinty losing his re-election campaign to Michael O'Malley. Cleveland city officials subsequently announce the firing of six officers involved in the 2012 vehicle shooting, including Brelo.

Years later, an arbitration process concludes with the city "reinstating five officers" while leaving Brelo's termination in place. Brelo reflects on his military training and tour in Iraq during the ambush, while the relatives of Russell, Williams, and Rice continue community efforts and memorial work in their absence.