CLEVELAND, OH (WOIO) -
19 Action News has gotten reaction from the top to the Cleveland Police Union's call for the chief to resign.
Mayor Frank Jackson told Reporter Ed Gallek "I am not firing the chief, not firing the chief."
Gallek encountered Mayor Jackson at City Hall. The mayor told Gallek on Thursday that he's not talking on camera because he just spoke in support of the chief on Tuesday after the release of the state Attorney General's investigation into a deadly police chase that left two people dead.
Timothy Russell, 43, and Malissa Williams, 30, died when officers fired 137 bullets into their car after a high-speed chase last November. The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner revealed Williams was shot 24 times and Russell was shot 23 times. Both had cocaine in their systems, and Russell was drunk.
AG Mike DeWine's investigation came down hard, criticizing the leadership of the Cleveland Police Department. It revealed a systemic failure within the Cleveland Police Department. Both a command and communications failure.
"On November 29, 2012, the system failed everyone," DeWine said.
On Tuesday, the Mayor stood in front of cameras and supported Chief Michael McGrath. Thursday, the mayor said, "Pull the tape."
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Cleveland Police Chief Michael McGrath and Mayor Frank Jackson
