by Our Foreign Desk

HUNDREDS of people protested in the US city of Cleveland yesterday after a policeman was acquitted over the shooting of two unarmed black people.

Ohio police officer Michael Brelo was acquitted after Judge John O’Donnell said that it was impossible to tell whether he had fired the fatal shots.

About 200 people marched to the courthouse in an pre-planned mock funeral procession to mark six months since the deadly shooting of Tamir Rice, a black 12-year-old carrying a toy gun, by a white officer in a park.

Riot police arrested more than a dozen people at the demonstration.

Mr Brelo was just one of 13 officers involved in the 2012 fatal shooting of Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams, who were both homeless.

Police gave chase to Mr Russell’s car after its exhaust backfired outside a police station.

In an apparent case of “contagious shooting,” a total of 137 shots were fired and the two victims were shot more than 20 times each.

Mr Brelo fired 49 bullets, including 15 through the windscreen as he stood on the car’s bonnet after other officers had ceased fire.

Judge O’Donnell said he would not “sacrifice” Mr Brelo to an angry public if the evidence did not merit a conviction.

Russell’s sister, Michelle Russell, said she believed Brelo would ultimately face justice.

“He’s not going to dodge this just because he was acquitted,” she said. “God will have the final say.”