Published May 23, 2015 at 11:33 a.m.

By Patrick Cooley, The Plain Dealer

CLEVELAND, Ohio — The not guilty verdict announced in the case of Cleveland police officer Michael Brelo is a stunning setback for justice, U.S. Rep. Marcia Fudge said in a statement Saturday.

"The verdict is another chilling reminder of the broken relationship between the Cleveland Police Department and the community it serves," said Fudge, who represents Ohio's 11th congressional district.

Brelo was one of several Cleveland police officers who fired more than 100 rounds into a car driven by Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams after a high-speed chase that began in Cleveland and ended in East Cleveland.

Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Judge John O'Donnell found Brelo not guilty on two counts of manslaughter, ruling that he did not have probable cause to find that Brelo fired the fatal shots.

Fudge called the firing of 137 shots "extreme, excessive and unnecessary."

Fudge pledged to continue to work with city officials to implement the changes recommended in a U.S. Department of Justice report released in December.

But she added, "We still have a long way to go toward racial equality and justice in Ohio, and in the entire United States of America."