Cleveland Police Chief Michael McGrath told the City Council Wednesday that an investigation into a deadly high-speed chase involving city police officers will conclude this month, reports the Plain Dealer. McGrath walked council members through the steps involved in a city administrative review and the state's criminal investigation — both trying to piece together the events of Nov. 29 that led police to fire 137 rounds into the vehicle of Timothy Russell, killing him and his passenger, Malissa Williams.
McGrath said the Ohio Attorney General's Office is examining radio transmissions, dashboard camera and surveillance video footage, interviews with witnesses and officers, as well as the casings and trajectories of bullets fired from 13 Cleveland officers that surrounded Russell's vehicle in an East Cleveland alley. Simultaneously, the city assembled a nine-member panel to conduct the internal investigation into whether those officers properly followed the city's policies on pursuit and use of deadly force. McGrath and Safety Director Martin Flask reiterated an earlier pledge that all future police use-of-force cases will be referred to an outside agency for investigation. And police soon will begin testing cameras and audio recording devices that can be worn by officers.