US court clears policeman of shooting 2 unarmed blacks

By -
Arrests in Cleveland as policeman cleared over shooting deaths - © David Maxwell, EPA
A United States white police officer was cleared of all charges in the 2012 shooting of two unarmed black suspects, sparking riots late Saturday that saw at least three arrests, police said.
The protests in Cleveland broke out minutes after Michael Brelo, a white police officer, was acquitted of voluntary manslaughter and felonious assault, reports dpa.
Prosecutors said Brelo, 31, jumped onto the front of a suspects' car after a 30-kilometre chase and fired 15 shots through the windshield. Occupants Timothy Russel, 43, and Malissa Williams, 30, were killed.
Demonstrators shouted "No justice - no peace" and "Black lives matter" as they marched through the streets.
Three people were arrested on riot charges after an object was thrown through a restaurant window, police tweeted.
A news crew for broadcaster CNN said at least 15 people were seen being loaded into vans by police in riot gear.
The judge said it could not be demonstrated beyond reasonable doubt that the shots fired by Brelo caused the deaths of the victims.
A total of 137 shots were fired by police at the scene. No other officer was charged. Brelo was facing more than 20 years in prison in case of a guiltly verdict.
The United States has seen several high-profile cases of violence by police against black suspects in the past year.
In Cleveland, 12-year-old Tamir Rice was shot killed in November by police after he waved a toy gun that fired plastic pellets. Litigation in that case was still pending.          

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

UBTH @50: Obaseki hails institution’s role in strengthening Edo healthcare

By -
Image
(Nigeria) Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State, has commended the staff and management of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, UBTH, for their unwavering commitment, dedication, and hard work in providing high-quality healthcare services to the people of Edo State and Nigeria in the past fifty years. Obaseki, at a dinner organized in honour of the Committee of Chief Medical Directors of Nigeria, at the Government House, Benin City, reassured the government’s continuous partnership and collaboration with the federal government-owned health institution to strengthen the health system and ensure quality health delivery to Edo people. The governor, who was represented by his deputy, Philip Shaibu, reeled out the gains of the government’s reforms in the health sector, commending the medical centre for bolstering the government’s efforts at transforming Edo State into a health hub. He said, "We came into a wilderness where you have to cut a part for yourself and fix it. We held...
Read more

Osun: S'Court ruling affirmed power resides with the people - Diri

By -
Image
*Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri (Nigeria) Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has said the ruling of the country’s apex court on the Osun State governorship election was an affirmation that power in a democracy resided with the people. Governor Diri, while congratulating Senator Ademola Adeleke in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Alabrah, on Wednesday, expressed joy that the Supreme Court sealed the mandate freely given to the governor by the Osun people. The Bayelsa governor also said the verdict reflected the current mood of the country where those whose stock-in-trade is to promote electoral violence and subvert the will of the people have no place in our electoral system. He expressed the hope that introduction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, will instil more confidence in the electoral process, urging the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to deepen Nigeria’s democracy by also introducing electronic votin...
Read more

NBC has no powers to impose fine on broadcast stations --Court

By -
Image
(Nigeria) The National Broadcasting Commission, NBC, has been restrained by a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, from imposing fines on broadcast stations in the country. Trial judge in the matter, Justice James Omotosho also set aside the N500,000 fines imposed on March 1, 2019, on each of 45 broadcast stations. The court made the orders in its judgment a suit by the Incorporated Trustees of Media Rights Agenda, MRA, which had sued the NBC. Justice Omotosho held that the NBC, not being a court of law, had no power to impose sanctions as punishment on broadcast stations. The court further held that the Nigeria Broadcasting Code, which gives the commission the power to impose sanction, is in conflict with Section 6 of the Constitution that vested judicial power in the court of law. He said the court would not sit idle and watch a body imposing fine arbitrarily without recourse to the law. He said that the commission did not comply with the law when it sat as a complainant and at...
Read more