The Justice Department has declined to federally charge the two police officers who killed 12-year-old Tamir Rice.
In 2014, white Cleveland officers Timothy Loehmann and his partner Frank Garmback responded to a 911 call about a “guy” pointing a gun at people. The man who dialed 911 was waiting on a bus while drinking beer and told the dispatcher that the person pointing the gun was probably a child and the weapon was more than likely “fake.” However, that information was never given to the officers, Huffington Post reports.
When police arrived at the scene, a recreation center in Cleveland, Tamir was playing with a pellet gun when the officers gunned him down on Nov. 22, 2014. Huff Post reports that the Justice Department would have to find that the officers willfully broke the law instead of making a mistake, being negligent, or making a poor decision. Prosecutors said Loehmann and Garmback were the only two witnesses in the “near vicinity of the shooting.”
The Justice Department claims that the surveillance footage was not clear enough to show whether or not Tamir was or wasn’t reaching for his toy gun just before being shot. After the shooting, the two officers told authorities that Tamir was reaching for his toy weapon and was given “multiple commands to show his hands before shooting.” The department shut the investigation into the case down, according to The New York Times. But, on Tuesday, the department officially announced it would end the investigation.
A state grand jury decided against indicting Loehmann. He was later fired after it was discovered that he was previously “unfit for duty.” Three use-of-force experts – hired by the family said the shooting was unreasonable. Four use-of-force experts, who were hired by the local authorities, said the shooting was reasonable.
We love and miss you, Tamir.
